The wanted CEO and founder of the cryptocurrency exchange Thodex was nabbed in Albania, the Turkish Ministry of the Interior announced.
Faruk Fatih Özer became a fugitive for his participation in the nighttime disappearance of Thodex, which rendered thousands of clients’ accounts inaccessible.
Faruk Fatih Özer’s identity confirmed
A red alert, a global appeal to law enforcement to find and temporarily detain a person, was immediately issued by the Interpol for Özer.
Turkey’s Minister of Internal Affairs announced yesterday that “fugitive Faruk Fatih Özer, the founder of Thodex, sought by a red notice, was caught in Vlorë, Albania, and his identity was confirmed by biometric results.”
Nabbed Thodex founder to be extradited
It added that the “extradition proceedings of Fatih Özer to Turkey were initiated by the Interpol Department of the General Directorate of Security.”
Several prosecutors in Turkey are seeking thousands of years in prison for officials of the bankrupt exchange, including Özer.
While it started in 2017, Thodex unexpectedly stopped trading in April 2021, claiming an unnamed outside investment that called for almost a week of trade postponement.
How Turkish crypto exchange Thodex was frozen
Özer said that cyber attackers caused the firm to cease trading but vowed to resume as soon as possible. He also emphasized that investor funds were secure.
On the same day, Turkish authorities arrested 62 workers, confiscated the company’s computers, and froze its accounts.
Vlorë is the third most populated city in Albania located on the coast.
The first global crypto exchange in Turkey, Thodex was among the largest of the 40 exchanges in Turkey having had 391,000 users before it froze in April 2021.