Gang defrauds Swiss company by selling paving stones instead of copper

ISTANBUL

An Istanbul prosecutor is seeking jail terms of up to 33 years for 16 people who defrauded a Swiss company by sending painted paving stones rather than 10,000 tons of copper.

According to daily Hürriyet, two business owners, Hasan Kayacıköse and Soner Çokyiğit, made a deal with a Swiss company to deliver around 10,000 tons of copper from Istanbul.

But the two dispatched thousands of painted paving stones pretending they were copper to the company.

The group were also involved in tricking customs into passing the stones without any problems.

They tricked the customs with fake documents claiming the containers were laden with copper.

They also prevented lorry drivers from looking inside the containers, which went unchecked until it got delivered.

The Swiss company’s officials were the first to notice the shipment was full of copper rather than paving stones, prompting them to file an official complaint against the group.

The prosecutor’s office has sought 33 years of jail terms for the company’s two owners for aggravated fraud and forging documents.

The other 14 were charged with being members of a criminal organization and fraud. The prosecutor is seeking 29 years in jail for the other members.