Turkish court jailed six suspects pending trial in an investigation into cryptocurrency exchange Thodex
Turkish authorities are investigating local crypto exchange Thodex, which has abruptly halted trading last week.
Turkish court jailed six suspects pending trial in an investigation into cryptocurrency exchange Thodex
On Thursday, a Turkish court jailed six suspects awaiting trial, including the siblings of the missing CEO and senior employees of the company.
As part of the probe, Interpol reportedly issued a red notice for Thodex CEO and founder Faruk Fatih Özer, who had reportedly flown to Albania.
Minister Süleyman Soylu said:
“When he is caught with the red notice, we have extradition agreements with a large part of these countries. God willing he will be caught and he will be returned.”
Local authorities have detained more than 83 individuals suspected of being involved in the incident amid growing fears that Thodex was a scam after the platform halted its withdrawals.
Some suspects point out that Özer’s siblings – Güven Özer and Serap Özer – may have taken on major roles in Thodex’s operations, noting that both have significant crypto holdings.
Güven Özer is reported to hold close to 22 million Turkish liras ($2.7 million) on two major local crypto exchanges including BtcTurk and Paribu. Güven is said to have served as an active CEO at Thodex despite not having a formal role at the company.
Serap Özer, the sister of the missing CEO, is believed to have more than 120 million liras ($14.6 million) in cryptocurrency transactions on her Binance account between 2018 and 2021. She claims that That account is not hers. Serap allegedly oversaw financial operations at Thodex.
The missing Thodex CEO is said to have spent all of his $ 2 billion worth of cryptocurrencies, but according to the latest report, Interior Minister Soylu says the company’s portfolio totals $ 108 million.
The news comes as the Turkish government takes a tough stance on cryptocurrencies, with the country’s central bank formally banning crypto payments going into effect on Friday. Another Turkish cryptocurrency exchange, Vebitcoin, also announced last week that they will be shut down amid employee arrests and fraud allegations.
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