DenizBank indictment rejected

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had prepared an indictment against DenizBank CEO Hakan Ateş and former Deputy CEO Mehmet Aydoğdu on charges of "qualified fraud."

The DenizBank indictment was not accepted. It has been returned to the prosecutor's office.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Following the case in which DenizBank branch manager Seçil Erzan is being tried while in custody—known publicly as the Fatih Terim fund case—an indictment had been filed against DenizBank CEO Hakan Ateş and Mehmet Aydoğdu, seeking prison sentences ranging from 72 to 240 years each for allegedly committing the crime of "qualified fraud" against 24 complainants.

In the indictment, which includes his statement, DenizBank CEO Hakan Ateş stated that after becoming aware of the fraud incident on April 7, 2023, they came to the prosecutor's office with the bank's lawyers and filed a criminal complaint.

Stating that he spoke with complainant Fatih Terim on the phone that same day and made an appointment to meet the following day, Ateş noted that Terim came to see him with complainants Turan and Belözoğlu, and he defended himself by saying he had no connection to the incident in question.

Stating that he did not accept the accusations against him, Ateş noted the following:

"Individuals named Fatih Terim, Arda Turan, and Emre Belözoğlu are people who can call me at any hour, regardless of the time, for even the smallest banking transaction. In fact, Fatih Terim has called me even for the smallest credit issue. It is a very strange situation that people who could call me in this manner did not call and ask me before handing over the millions of dollars mentioned to the person named Seçil Erzan. Even after the money stopped being repaid, they did not report their grievances to me by calling me, until April 7."