Albanian police detain two people in raid to nab Turkish crypto exchange founder
Albanian police on April 27 raided a house in the capital Tirana in which Thodex founder Faruk Fatih Özer was believed to be hiding. Özer was not at the house, but the police detained two people suspected of helping the Thodex founder.
Duvar English
Albanian police on April 27 raided a house in the capital Tirana in which the founder of the Turkish cryptocurrency exchange Thodex, Faruk Fatih Özer, was believed to be hiding.
The operation, which was held in cooperation with the Turkish police, led to the detention of two Albanians, who are facing charges of aiding Özer, Turkish media outlets said.
One of the detainees has been determined to have met Özer at the airport upon his arrival to the country and helped him to find a place to hide.
Özer left Turkey for Albania with about $2 billion last week, leaving some 391,000 frauded people behind.
Following Turkey's application, Interpol issued a red notice for Özer, while Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu on April 23 phoned his Albanian counterpart Bledar Cuci for the CEO's extradition.
Özer is facing charges of aggravated fraud and forming a criminal organization.
The financial crimes investigation board MASAK last week announced that it blocked Thodex's accounts.
On April 23, prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 78 people suspected of being linked to the platform, with police detaining 62 of them.