Turkey nabs 68 suspects in cryptocurrency probe

ISTANBUL

Sixty-eight suspects were detained in Turkey as part of an investigation into a cryptocurrency exchange platform, Thodex, a security source said on April 25.

The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Istanbul issued detention warrants for 80 suspects for alleged links to the website that is currently inaccessible, the source said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Police carried out simultaneous raids in eight provinces and the detentions were made. Efforts are underway to arrest the remaining suspects, it added.

Also, a large number of digital material and documents were seized during operations.

The Justice Ministry separately initiated legal action against Fatih Faruk Özer for the search with a red notice and for his repatriation from Albania.

Turkey's Interior Ministry confirmed Wednesday that Özer left the country for Albania.

Earlier, the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Istanbul appealed to Thodex staff for testimonies about the platform, which has allegedly upset hundreds of thousands of members.

Lawyer Abdullah Usame Ceran filed a criminal complaint against Özer, the founder and CEO of the platform, alleging "aggravated fraud."

After transaction issues, the platform shared releases on Monday and Tuesday, announcing a six-hour maintenance period.

On Wednesday, it made another announcement that it would enter a partnership and that members would be able to make transactions after a five-day maintenance period.

Meanwhile, Turkey's financial crimes watchdog announced it blocked all of the platform's bank accounts in the country as of Wednesday.

Turkey's Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) initiated an investigation into the person in charge and the company.