Eight arrested in alleged embezzlement at Antalya bank

ANTALYA

Authorities have detained eight individuals in connection with an alleged embezzlement scheme involving the misappropriation of 205 million Turkish Liras ($6.65 million) from customers' accounts at a branch of private lender Denizbank in Antalya.

Among those arrested are branch manager Rahşan Eylem Bulut, deputy manager Utku Erdem and two other bank personnel, who were previously under detention, officials reported.

The investigation unfolded following the detection of unusual activity in Erdem's account at the branch located in the Manavgat district's Side region, media reports said. Subsequently, bank inspectors from the head office were dispatched to conduct a thorough examination.

The investigation revealed that Erdem had allegedly transferred a total of 205 million liras from customers' accounts to individuals known to him, incrementally, spanning from 2021 to this month. These funds were later returned to Erdem's account by the recipients.

Erdem purportedly confessed to orchestrating the scheme. He claimed to have lost the ill-gotten gains through wagers on virtual betting platforms and transactions on cryptocurrency exchanges abroad.

The report comes amid another controversy involving Denizbank, as Seçil Erzan, a branch manager in Istanbul, remains under scrutiny for her alleged involvement in a pyramid scheme. The scheme reportedly deceived several prominent individuals, including footballers Arda Turan and Fernando Muslera, with promises of substantial returns from a "secret special fund."