Indictment prepared against social media influencers the Candan sisters

An indictment has been prepared against 22 suspects, including social media influencers Alisya Bahar Candan and her older sister Gülnihal Çiçek, known to the public as "Nihal Candan," for charges including "membership in a criminal organization," "fraud," and other various offenses.

The indictment states that Onur Apaydın and İlker Oflu were the leaders of the network, and that the suspects, who were members of an organized crime group formed to generate income through fraud and usury, utilized the convenience provided by the organization's structure and division of labor to implement a fraud method known in the criminal world as the "Carp Spiral" (Sazan Sarmalı).

The indictment notes that the suspects reached out to victims through acquaintances and, after gaining their trust, claimed to have close relationships with official institutions and organizations such as enforcement offices, tax offices, and the TMSF (Savings Deposit Insurance Fund). It is stated that they told victims they were selling vehicles acquired through tenders via these institutions at prices below market value, and that the suspects presented lists containing vehicle and price information to the victims to make offers.

The indictment further details that the suspects made agreements with victims who wanted to purchase vehicles from the list and ensured that the vehicle price and brokerage commission were sent to the account of a shell company specifically established for this purpose. It is reported that after collecting the vehicle fees and commissions in advance, the suspects would make up various excuses and disappear without delivering the promised vehicles.

The indictment notes that victims who sought to claim their rights were threatened. It explains that before carrying out the fraud acts—referred to as "projects" in the criminal organization's terminology—the organization's field operatives conducted preliminary work, identified potential victims with good economic status and their personal weaknesses through social connections, and established personal relationships with the targeted victims using financial resources allocated from the organization's budget.

The indictment also addresses the positions of Alisya Bahar Candan and Gülnihal Çiçek within the organization, stating that the Candan sisters had previously participated in television programs, appeared on magazine shows after becoming famous, and were known as "social media influencers." Because they were recognized by broad segments of society, they played an active role in deceiving victims during special meetings organized by the criminal group for fraud activities and were in close contact with the organization's leader, Onur Apaydın.

THE ORGANIZATION'S SECRET ACCOUNTANT AND TREASURER

The indictment explains that because the organization's leader, Onur Apaydın, who has an outstanding arrest warrant, could not actively use banking systems, he laundered the money obtained from criminal proceeds by funneling it through Alisya Bahar Candan, who acted as the "secret accountant and treasurer" within the criminal organization.

In his testimony included in the indictment, suspect Hacı İsrafil Sağlam stated that he attended organization meetings and noted that field operatives and lower-level members never participated in meetings where everyone from the upper echelons was present.

Sağlam said, "I saw Nihal Candan at two of the meetings. Nihal Candan was the girlfriend of the organization leader Onur Apaydın. Other individuals showed respect to Nihal Candan and kept their distance. Matters regarding the internal functioning of the organization and car buying and selling businesses were discussed in Nihal Candan's presence. Transactions related to the 'Carp Spiral' project method were debated."

The indictment states that Alisya Bahar Candan played a more active role in the criminal organization than her sister Gülnihal Çiçek, and that Gülnihal Çiçek was released under judicial control conditions, taking into account the time she spent in detention.

The indictment demands a prison sentence of 14 to 44 years for Alisya Bahar Candan on charges of "membership in a criminal organization" and "fraud by claiming to be a public official or an employee of a bank, insurance, or credit institution, or by claiming to be associated with these institutions and organizations."

For Gülnihal Çiçek, a prison sentence of 8 to 24 years is requested for the same charges.

For the other 20 suspects, various prison sentences were proposed for different crimes.

The prepared indictment has been sent to the High Criminal Court.