Turkey's stock market scandal affects nearly half a million investors. Police have made several arrests and an AKP politician has resigned.

Investors in Turkey want one thing above all else: for their money to retain its value. Given inflation of around 30%, that is not exactly easy. As a result, many people are buying gold, foreign currency or stocks and increasingly, mutual fund shares that promise high returns. But the stock market has become a trap for around half a million Turkish investors. In mid-September, the benchmark BIST 100 index plummeted by 6% in a single day and lost about 12% within just a few trading days. This sharp drop in stock prices was triggered by a major market manipulation scandal.