Former Thodex cryptocurrency exchange CEO Faruk Fatih Ozer has been extradited from Albania to Turkey to face fraud and money laundering charges.
According to a report by Anadolu Agency, Ozer left Tirana, the capital of Albania, and arrived in Istanbul on Thursday, where the Istanbul Airport Police Department took him into custody. He is expected to undergo health check-ups before being transported to the Istanbul Police Department.
Two years ago, Thodex abruptly ceased operations, leaving thousands of customers with losses. Local reports suggested that the operations suspension was part of an exit scam orchestrated by Ozer.
Following the exchange’s collapse, Ozer disappeared but was later apprehended in Albania after Turkey issued an Interpol red notice. Albania’s top court recently approved Ozer’s extradition, putting an end to his legal battle against deportation.
Turkish authorities have already arrested 62 individuals on fraud charges in connection to the Thodex exit scam. Nearly 391,000 users invested about $2 billion in Thodex, making it one of the largest cryptocurrency fraud cases in Turkey. As part of the investigation, the police also arrested some of the former CEO’s siblings on April 30.
Reports indicate that despite not having an official role at Thodex, Güven Özer allegedly held almost 22 million Turkish liras ($2.7 million) on two major local crypto exchanges, BtcTurk and Paribu.
Meanwhile, Serap Özer, the CEO’s sister, allegedly oversaw financial activities at Thodex and had more than 120 million liras ($14.6 million) worth of crypto transactions on her Binance account between 2018 and 2021, which she denied belonged to her.
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