Bank executives testify in the Seçil Erzan case: 'It was the Fatih Terim fund from the very beginning'

Speaking at the hearing where bank executives testified, bank board member Tanju Kaya said, "We told them that the money they mentioned did not appear in the bank's records, but that the inspection was ongoing and that if the bank had any liability, we would resolve it."

The trial of bank branch manager Seçil Erzan, who is accused of defrauding 29 people, including well-known footballers Arda Turan, Fernando Muslera, Emre Belözoğlu, and Selçuk İnan, of approximately 25 million dollars and 7 million 384 thousand liras by claiming there was a reliable, high-yield fund and that names like Fatih Terim were also involved in this fund, continues.

Detained defendants Seçil Erzan and Ali Yörük, along with 4 defendants tried without detention, were present at the hearing held by the Istanbul 41st High Criminal Court. Lawyers for the parties also attended the hearing.

"WE TOLD THEM IT DID NOT APPEAR IN BANK RECORDS"

Testifying as a witness at the hearing, bank board member Tanju Kaya stated that he first met Seçil Erzan in 2019 when they visited Fatih Terim, and said, "I learned about the events when Sermin Tekin called me to provide information. Afterwards, I informed our General Manager, Mr. Hakan. The next day, Fatih Terim, Emre Belözoğlu, and Arda Turan said they wanted to come to the bank for a meeting.

They arrived around 10:00 and said they were victims. Fatih Terim said, 'I haven't checked my bank accounts yet, I can't say anything for now.'

We told them that the money they mentioned did not appear in the bank's records, but that the inspection was ongoing and that if the bank had any liability, we would resolve it. We also told them that we could not establish contact with Seçil," he said.

"IV THERAPY WAS ADMINISTERED"

Continuing his testimony, witness Kaya said that when they reached Seçil Erzan, they asked her about the process, stating, "She explained that a friend had lost money in an investment, that she took money from someone else to cover it, and then when she couldn't get out of the situation, she took money from Fatih Terim, trying to cover one person's deficit with money taken from another.

We tried to create a list, but Seçil sometimes remembered correctly, sometimes couldn't remember, and sometimes changed what she remembered; in other words, we couldn't reach a proper conclusion. Since Ms. Seçil looked very unwell, we asked if she wanted vitamins, and when she accepted, IV therapy was administered. Branch managers do not have the authority to collect or receive money. A branch manager also does not have the authority to conduct an operation.

If there are too many foreign currency transactions in a branch in one day, it is checked and monitored. Furthermore, letterhead paper is not a valuable document. It was seen by our Board of Inspection that the money was handed over outside the bank. All of them were saying they were defrauded by being told it was the 'Fatih Terim fund.' Hakan Ateş and Mehmet Aydoğdu learned about the incident on April 7. There is no fund managed by Ateş and Aydoğdu," he said.

"I HEARD IT AS THE 'FATIH TERIM FUND' FROM THE VERY BEGINNING"

In the continuation of his testimony, witness Kaya said, "I heard it as the 'Fatih Terim Fund' from the very beginning. Emre Belözoğlu and Volkan Bahçekapılı also came. They all said, 'We gave money. It was the Fatih Terim Fund.'

The fund, which started as the Fatih Terim fund, somehow became the Hakan Ateş and Mehmet Aydoğdu fund thanks to some lawyers. Ms. Seçil said she tried to manage the money to cover her friend's stock market losses, and when the figures grew, she took money from names like Fatih Terim and tried to cover the deficits.

She said she took the money by claiming Fatih Terim was involved, and that she handled this outside the bank so it would not appear in the bank's records. This was described under the name of a fund system," he stated.

News Source: İHA