Israfil Kahraman
Senior Lawyer with 27 Years of Experience, Political and Intellectual Figure, Real Estate Expert and Developer, Pioneer in Investment and Migration Services in Türkiye.
Combining nearly 30 years of legal experience—gained by providing legal consultancy to
Türkiye’s leading real estate and construction firms—with the construction knowledge my family
has carried since the 1950s, which I have been personally involved in since the 1990s, I began
producing residential projects in Türkiye.
Having delivered hundreds of homes and numerous office buildings in Türkiye now fuels my goal
of expanding internationally, starting with Greece, and ultimately to a global scale. By
leveraging light steel construction technology, I aim to provide solutions to Europe’s
growing housing crisis.
- He was born in Bayburt in 1972. He graduated from the Ship Machinery Department of Istanbul Maritime and Aquaculture Vocational High School and the Law Department of Istanbul University.
He served as a Legal Advisor for nearly 20 years at leading Turkish companies, including Ağaoğlu Holding, Cengiz Holding, Akyapı, and Okumuş Holding. Since 2008, he has been practicing as a freelance lawyer as the Chief Attorney and Manager of Viya Legal, which he founded. He has successfully concluded many cases before the highest courts, such as the Court of Cassation and the European Court of Human Rights, and has managed to become the attorney for cases taught as courses in law schools. He has served as a Member of the Istanbul Bar Association Assembly and was part of the management of the Rule of Law Platform, which ran in the Bar Association Elections. He is a member of the Lawyers Association and the CCBE European Bar Association. He has been appointed and served as a Legal Board Member for many companies by the Deposit Insurance Fund.
Since its establishment in 2017, Viya Citizenship Services has become the first and ultimately the most active service provider for the Turkish Citizenship by Investment Program. It has brought together over 1,000 investors with Turkey. It has distinguished itself by ensuring that the investments it brings are in Turkey’s favor and sustainable, and the indirect employment it has created with its investors (in cities such as Kayseri, Bartın, and Istanbul) has exceeded 10,000 people. It is among the names consulted by NGOs, the Ministry of Interior, and the Turkish Presidency Investment Office for the development of the Citizenship by Investment Program. It is the first member from Turkey of the Investment Migration Council, recognized by the United Nations and considered the umbrella organization in the field of investor migration.
In 1998, he established Tataroğlu Excavation Construction Limited Company and served on the management board of this company, which acted as a subcontractor for institutions such as Ağaoğlu and Sinpaş. In 2010, he founded Viya Real Estate and completed the construction and delivery of hundreds of apartments and numerous office buildings in Ümraniye, Istanbul. Through Viya Hellas IKE, which he founded, he is constructing The Villas Resort and Oliville Halkidiki projects in Greece.
He has also distinguished himself through his work on the integration of Turks within the European Union and the defense of their rights. He is the lawyer who secured the decisions enabling Turks living in Europe to vote without having to come to Turkey. He has also filed numerous applications to the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of Turks in Europe. He served as the General Coordinator of the UETD (Union of European Turkish Democrats), the umbrella organization designated in this field. He played an active role in organizing the foundation in countries other than Germany.
For nearly 30 years, he has held positions in politics and civil society, including Deputy Mayor of Çekmeköy Municipal Council, Chairman of the Legal and Audit Committees, Member of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipal Council and Chairman of the Fundamental Rights Committee, and Member of the Union of Municipalities of Turkey Council. He has also been an active figure in the civil society and political life of his hometown, Bayburt, serving as Chairman of the Bayburt Foundation, Bayburt’s leading civil society organization, for three terms. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Bayburt Sports Club and the Bayburt University Foundation. İsrafil Kahraman has also served as Vice President of the Information Economy Association (BİLGEDER).