Thodex cryptocurrency platform’s has been arrested in Albania.
Wanted by Interpol, the founder of the Turkish cryptocurrency platform Thodex, suspected of having fled Turkey last year with the assets of nearly 400,000 customers, has been arrested in Albania. This was announced on Tuesday by the authorities of Ankara, who had requested in April 2021 the launching of an international arrest warrant against this 28-year-old man.
Before his arrest in the Vlora district of Albania, the last image of Faruk Fatih Özer showed this young entrepreneur at passport control at Istanbul airport, wearing a black sweater, on his way to an unknown destination. It was April 20, 2021, a day before the cryptocurrency platform Thodex suspended its activities for a bogus reason.
The same week, Turkish police arrested dozens of people suspected of scamming on behalf of Thodex – including the brother and sister of the platform’s founder.
Faruk Fatih Özer, who had denounced “unfounded allegations” on social networks, claimed to intend to return to Turkey after a few days. He had done nothing about it, and the authorities in Ankara had asked Interpol to issue a “red notice”.
Turkey is now calling on Albania to extradite the suspect, accused of fleeing the country with two billion dollars in assets belonging to nearly 400,000 Thodex investors. Faruk Fatih Özer is being prosecuted by the Turkish courts with 20 other people, including six in preventive detention. All face heavy prison sentences.
The total number of daily crypto trades in Turkey topped one million in December last year after the Turkish Lira dropped by more than 40% earlier in September.
There have been media reports of the Turkish presidency’s efforts to regulate cryptocurrency usage in the country through the introduction of a bill. However, none has been introduced yet.
