Prosecutor presents closing arguments: Prison sentence requested for Seçil Erzan revealed!

The trial continued for bank branch manager Seçil Erzan, who is accused of defrauding more than 30 people, including well-known footballers such as Arda Turan, Fernando Muslera, Emre Belözoğlu, and Selçuk İnan, of millions of liras by claiming there was a reliable, high-yield fund and that names like Fatih Terim were also involved. The hearing, held at the Istanbul 41st High Criminal Court, was attended by the detained defendant Seçil Erzan via the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS). Four defendants who are not in custody and the lawyers for the parties were also present at the hearing.

FATİH TERİM AND DEFENDANTS FAILED TO REACH A SETTLEMENT

It was stated in court that the case file had been sent to the Conciliation Bureau during the previous hearing regarding defendants Seçil Erzan, Hakan Ateş, Mehmet Aydoğdu, and Rüya Sağır, and the complainant Fatih Terim, but that a settlement could not be reached.

PROSECUTION PRESENTS CLOSING ARGUMENTS

In his closing arguments regarding the merits of the case, the Public Prosecutor stated that there was a flow of money between defendant Seçil Erzan and 41 complainants at various times. He noted that, in general, the complainants gave large sums of money at different times to a system or venture where Erzan promised they would earn money with high returns in a short time, and that they handed over these funds partly inside the Denizbank branch, partly in her office, partly outside, and partly to people Erzan directed them to.

It was stated that, in fact, once the initial members of the system earned some profit, other individuals voluntarily tried to join the system for investment purposes.

In the presented closing arguments, it was noted that while some complainants received or attempted to receive documents from Seçil Erzan after giving her money, they did not receive any documentation when handing over money to defendant Seçil Erzan or during the profit-sharing periods they perceived as banking transactions. It was recorded that the complainants were persuaded to invest in a non-existent fund or investment vehicle due to the trust they placed in her as a bank branch manager, that not all complainants but some had interactions with others to continue the system, and that, in reality, once the initial members of the system earned some profit, other individuals voluntarily tried to join the system for investment purposes.

It was stated that Seçil Erzan created pressure by claiming there were small gaps in the fund to ensure commercial opportunities were not missed.

The closing arguments, which described a pyramidal structure emerging regarding the actions attributed to defendant Seçil Erzan, explained that in the incident in question, Erzan persuaded complainants to invest in a secret fund that did not exist, claiming that bank executives and well-known names from the sports community were among the investors. It was explained that she established a system where no actual investment was made and funds were diverted for the use of others. The closing arguments stated that Seçil Erzan misled the participants by using the names of bank executives Hakan Ateş and Mehmet Aydoğdu, as well as well-known figures from the sports community such as Fatih Terim and Arda Turan, creating the belief that a fund involving these names would not lose money. She spoke of a special fund available to private clients and exerted pressure by claiming there were small gaps in the fund to ensure commercial opportunities were not missed.

The closing arguments further stated that defendant Erzan's payment obligations grew, that many of the victims could not even recover their principal amounts, that she created an illusion of profitability, established a fraudulent system that attracted new investors, and gained benefits by covering her own debts with assets obtained from new investors. On the other hand, it was noted that defendants Ali Yörük, Nazlı Can, Hüseyin Eligül, and Nur Erkasap played active roles in the actions directed at each complainant.

REQUEST FOR UP TO 342 YEARS IN PRISON

In the closing arguments, it was requested that defendant Seçil Erzan be sentenced to a total of 50 years and 6 months to 342 years in prison for the crimes of 'fraud by persons who are merchants or company managers or acting on behalf of a company; or by cooperative managers within the scope of cooperative activities' against some complainants, 'breach of trust' against Fatih Terim, and 'forgery of private documents.' Additionally, it was requested that she be acquitted separately for the crime of 'qualified fraud' against 6 people and for the crime of 'forgery of private documents' against 18 people, including Arda Turan, Buse Terim, Fernando Muslera, and Emre Çolak.

ACQUITTAL REQUESTS

On the other hand, the closing arguments requested the separate acquittal of defendants Hakan Ateş and Mehmet Aydoğdu regarding the crime of 'qualified fraud' against 24 separate complainants, the acquittal of defendant Rüya Sağır for 'qualified fraud' against complainant Fatih Terim, the acquittal of defendant Mojtaba Haghani for 'usury,' the acquittal of defendant Kerem Can for 'qualified fraud' against complainant Ömer Kahraman, and the acquittal of defendant Asiye Öztürk for 'qualified fraud' and 'forgery of private documents.'

Furthermore, it was requested that defendants Nazlı Can, Ali Yörük, Atilla Yörük, Nur Erkasap, and Hüseyin Eligül be sentenced to prison terms ranging from 12 to 40 years for 'qualified fraud' and 'forgery of private documents,' and that defendant Süleyman Aslan be sentenced to 2 to 6 years in prison for 'usury.'

UNABLE TO CONTROL HER TEARS

Taking the floor at the hearing, Seçil Erzan was unable to control her tears and said, "Please act fairly, I beg you. Know that there was no such system and that I did not act with the intention of making money. Know that I was in a panic and trying to fix things. I gave 10 to those who gave me 1. I ended up in something nonsensical. There are still usurers in this file. There are still those in the closing arguments who claim they are owed money but have already received their principal. How could I have set up such a system? I have been detained for 910 days. In my first statement, I said that I had gone into debt and entered a spiral of poverty. I sold everything I had to pay my debts with interest. In the recent period, especially after February when I could not pay back, I also made mistakes. I admit from the very beginning that there are those who were harmed. But how will the money of those who suffered losses be paid? I wanted to file a complaint that they took these people's money from me by force." The lawyers for the parties requested time from the court to prepare their defense and statements against the presented closing arguments.

ERZAN'S MONEY IN THE BANK SEIZED

Announcing its interim decision, the court ruled for the seizure of the money in defendant Seçil Erzan's individual pension account and decided to grant time to the lawyers of the parties to prepare their defense and statements against the presented closing arguments. The panel also ruled for the continuation of Erzan's detention and adjourned the hearing.