Collapsed Turkish Crypto Exchange Thodex's CEO Faruk Özer Extradited, Arrested in Istanbul: Report

Özer was arrested in Albania in August last year after an Interpol red notice against him.

AccessTimeIconApr 20, 2023 at 9:49 a.m. UTC
Updated Apr 20, 2023 at 2:58 p.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

Faruk Fatih Özer, the founder of Thodex, one of Turkey's largest crypto exchanges, facing charges of fraud and running a criminal organization, has been extradited to Turkey and was detained by police upon arrival in Istanbul, state media aa.com reported on Thursday.

Özer was arrested in Albania in August after an Interpol red notice against him. Özer, the founder and CEO of Thodex, fled to Albania after his exchange suddenly went offline last year. More than 400,000 members were left in the dark without access to deposits of $2 billion in cryptocurrencies.

The events surrounding Thodex had created a stir in Turkey where crypto has been used as a hedge against inflation. Özer's brother, sister and four other senior employees were jailed, and at least 83 people were detained as part of the investigation.

Edited by Parikshit Mishra.

Disclosure

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.

Amitoj Singh

Amitoj Singh is a CoinDesk reporter.


Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.