How does a court-appointed expert differ from an independent expert opinion?
A court-appointed expert is a person appointed by the court or the prosecutor for matters that require special or technical knowledge. An independent expert opinion, by contrast, is a scientific opinion that the parties obtain from an expert of their own choosing.
- Criminal proceedings: Under Turkish law, Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 67/6 allows the parties to obtain a scientific opinion from their own expert on the case file.
- Civil proceedings: Under Turkish law, Code of Civil Procedure Art. 293 allows the parties to obtain a scientific opinion (expert opinion) from specialists.
- Appointment: The court-appointed expert is assigned by the court; the person preparing an independent expert opinion is chosen by the parties.
Hakan Sevimoğlu is not registered on any court list of experts. The document he prepares is not an official court expert report but a private expert report.
Main service page for this topic: digital evidence examination
When is an independent expert opinion needed?
- When the court expert's report in the file is believed to be technically incomplete or wrong, to provide a technical basis for an objection.
- When it is claimed that an audio recording or video may have been edited; details on the audio and video tampering detection page.
- When an unintelligible audio recording needs to be enhanced and its transcript documented.
- When an incident or number plate in camera footage needs to be assessed using enhanced footage.
What does the report contain?
- Material examined: File names, sizes, source and SHA-256 hash values.
- Question: A clear definition of the technical question put to the expert.
- Methods and tools: The software, settings and processing order used, in enough detail for another expert to repeat them.
- Findings: The technical data observed, with screenshots, spectrograms or frame comparisons where needed.
- Assessment and limitations: What the findings support and what they do not, expressed in terms of likelihood and together with the limitations of the method.
How are independence and impartiality ensured?
Although the report is paid for by the requesting party, its conclusions are not shaped by who requested it. If a technical finding goes against the requesting party, this is stated openly and the report is written accordingly.
Findings are expressed not in categorical terms but to the extent the data supports them. This approach makes the report more reliable and keeps it open to scrutiny by the other party and the court.
Evidential weight and limitations of the report
The court decides on the evidential weight of an independent expert opinion and its effect on the case; there is no guarantee that the report will be accepted or change the outcome. On procedural matters such as when and how to submit it, you need to work together with your lawyer.
Reports are not prepared for data obtained without authorisation, devices accessed covertly or requests that involve password cracking. For the overall process, see the digital evidence examination page.
What I offer
Turkish legal framework
Opinion under CCP Art. 67/6 and CPC Art. 293
Repeatable method
Tools, settings and order in the report
Hash-based record
SHA-256 value of every file examined
Likelihood-based
Findings stated as far as data allows
Independent result
Not shaped by who requested it
Lawyer-friendly language
Technical terms explained clearly
Technologies I use
Example projects
A selection of live projects serving real users.
VELUX License Plate Recognition & Traffic Analytics
Smart plate recognition and traffic monitoring system.
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iPhone Security Scan — Spyware Detection
iOS app that scans for state-grade spyware, hidden tracking apps and jailbreak traces.
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Inspectra — AI Quality Control & OEE
Edge-AI iOS app for camera-based visual quality inspection.
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We clarify needs, existing systems and goals together.
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Scope, technology, timeline and budget within 24 hours.
Staged development
Weekly demos and a live test environment.
Launch & support
Go-live, training and ongoing maintenance.
Free pre-analysisThe first meeting and roadmap are completely free, with no obligation.
Staged delivery and approvalYou review each module on a test environment before we move on.
Written scope and rightsScope, delivery and source code rights are defined in the contract.
Frequently asked questions
What is an independent expert opinion?
It is a written technical or scientific opinion that a party obtains from an expert of their own choosing and can submit in proceedings. Under Turkish law it falls under Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 67/6 in criminal cases and Code of Civil Procedure Art. 293 in civil cases; procedures in other countries differ and should be clarified with a lawyer.
Is an independent expert opinion the same as a court expert's report?
No. A court-appointed expert is appointed by the court or the prosecutor; an independent expert opinion is obtained by the parties themselves. Hakan Sevimoğlu is not a court-appointed expert and only prepares private expert reports.
Can a technical opinion be obtained to challenge a court expert's report?
Yes. The methods, tools and conclusions in the court expert's report can be examined technically, and any points that appear incomplete or wrong can be set out in a written opinion. For the procedure and deadlines of an objection, you need to work with your lawyer.
Is an independent expert opinion automatically accepted in court?
No. The court decides on the evidential weight of an independent expert opinion; no outcome can be guaranteed for any report.
Is the report written in favour of the person requesting it?
No. The report is written according to the technical findings. If the findings do not support the requesting party's expectations, this is stated clearly.
Which types of digital evidence can an opinion cover?
Audio recordings, video and CCTV footage, tampering claims, and phone data examined with the owner's consent.