Albanian authorities, at the request of Turkish authorities, have arrested the founder and former CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange Thodex, Faruk Fatih Ozer.
According to the заявлению of the Turkish Interior Ministry, the detainee’s identity has been confirmed by biometric examination.
The country’s Interpol bureau has initiated the extradition process for Ozer, who has been issued a “red notice”.
On 20 April 2021, Thodex suddenly halted trading. Initially the platform cited technical maintenance, but then said it was transferring the business to a “major partner,” which reportedly would take 4-5 days. Users were alarmed by the closure of the company’s social media accounts.
As part of the investigation into the alleged exit-scam, authorities issued arrest warrants for 78 people connected with the platform. Most of the suspects have been detained.
However, according to media reports, Ozer had already flown to Albania on 20 April вылетел в Албанию. Earlier he had assured Twitter users that he did not plan to go into hiding.
In April 2022 it emerged that the court sought for Ozer and another 20 suspects in connection with a fraudulent scheme a 40 564 years in prison for each.
The investigation valued the damage caused by the exchange at 356 million Turkish lira (about $24 million). According to Chainalysis analysts, the figure stood at $2.6 billion.
In April 2021, the Turkish exchange Vebitcoin also ceased operations, with authorities launching an investigation.
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