The Turkish cryptocurrency exchange Thodex’s founder has finally been brought back home after two years of the platform halting trading, facing charges of fraud and money laundering. Faruk Fatih Ozer, the former CEO, has been extradited from Albania to Turkey, and upon his arrival at Istanbul Airport on April 20, the local police immediately detained the 27-year-old as reported by Cointelegraph Turkey.
According to the report, Ozer’s plane took off from the Albanian capital of Tirana in the morning and landed at Istanbul Airport, where the Istanbul Airport Police Department took custody of Ozer. The detained founder is expected to undergo health check-ups and then will be taken to the Istanbul Police Department.
Ozer’s arrival in Turkey comes almost two years after the Thodex exchange abruptly halted trading and withdrawals amid reports of police raids at its offices on April 22, 2021. Local publications speculated that the suspension was part of an exit scam involving Ozer, who allegedly fled Turkey with at least $2 billion worth of cryptocurrency stolen from Thodex. Interpol subsequently issued a red notice for Ozer, who reportedly ran to Albania.
About a year after Thodex collapsed, the fugitive founder was arrested in Albania in August 2022. Additionally, Turkish police detained 62 people over alleged Thodex exit scam, also arresting some siblings of the then-missing CEO.
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