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A Turkish beauty clinic owner accused of defrauding thousands of clients and employees in Adana has resurfaced in South Africa, where she now operates a luxury beauty center and promotes herself on social media as a medical aesthetics expert.
Sinem Cekinmez, owner of the Bellapais Beauty Center chain in Adana, allegedly sold large prepaid service packages at prices below market value, failed to pay staff salaries for months, took loans from banks and business cooperatives, and left suppliers unpaid before departing Türkiye on April 17 last year.
New reports now show her working openly in Cape Town, where she recently announced the opening of a new high-end beauty clinic.
The developments have renewed public anger in Türkiye, where former clients, employees, and guarantors continue to face financial losses linked to her business collapse.
Sinem Cekinmez's Bellapais operated three branches in Adana.
Cekinmez allegedly sold bulk treatment packages to customers at discounted prices and sold high-value prepaid packages. Employees later stated that the company stopped paying salaries for five months.
Reports say Cekinmez also secured loans from banks and a tradesmen's cooperative. She allegedly left Türkiye without repaying these debts or settling payments owed to suppliers.
After news of her departure emerged, unpaid employees gathered at Bellapais branches and removed furniture, equipment, and office materials in an effort to recover part of their losses. Former staff later announced plans to file fraud complaints.
In messages sent to employees at the time, Cekinmez said she had no success story to share and claimed she left the country because she could not find a way out of financial distress. She stated that she planned to sell company assets to repay debts, but said branch interiors were looted before she could act.
In May 2025, the case took a more tragic turn. A man who had acted as guarantor for Cekinmez’s business loans died by suicide after debts fell onto him following her departure.
Reports identified the man as Fadil Sahin, the husband of the head of the International Federation of Beauty Experts. Sahin had mortgaged his home to guarantee loans obtained by Cekinmez. After the business collapse, he reportedly faced severe financial pressure and later died by suicide in Adana. Local reports said he sent a farewell message to his wife before his death.
The incident intensified public scrutiny of the Bellapais case and calls for legal accountability.
New reporting published on January 12 shows Cekinmez now living in South Africa. Despite earlier claims that she lacked funds, she has shared images of a luxury lifestyle on social media and recently announced the opening of a new beauty clinic in Cape Town.
In a video shared online, she described herself as a medical aesthetics expert and claimed ownership of Türkiye’s largest beauty clinic network. She stated that she has 1.3 million social media followers and more than 90,000 active clients. She said she moved to Cape Town ten months ago, citing family reasons.
Turkish media described her posts as mocking toward those who suffered losses in Adana. Victims interviewed in earlier coverage have called for her detention and extradition to face fraud allegations in Türkiye.
Sinem Cekinmez was known as a beauty sector entrepreneur who founded the Bellapais Beauty Center in Adana in 2003. She served as the lead aesthetic practitioner at the clinics and built a well-known local brand with three branches in the city.
Bellapais was one of the more recognizable beauty clinic chains in Adana before its sudden collapse. Cekinmez was responsible for clinical services as well as business operations. Her social media presence also played a role in promoting the brand and attracting customers.
Her public profile shifted sharply after reports alleged that the business sold high-value prepaid service packages at below-market prices, failed to pay employee salaries, left supplier debts unpaid, and relied on bank and tradesmen cooperative loans that were not repaid.
After she departed from Türkiye in April last year, employees announced plans to file fraud complaints, while victims called for her detention and return to face legal proceedings.
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