Forgery case against Thodex founder

Faruk Fatih Özer, who was captured in Albania on April 20, 2023, and brought to Turkey, had been sentenced to 11,196 years, 10 months, and 15 days in prison for the crimes of 'establishing, managing, and being a member of an organization', 'qualified fraud', and 'laundering assets derived from crime'.

A new indictment has been prepared against Özer. At the time of his arrest in Albania on August 30, 2022, a fake ID card and driver's license issued in the name of Adrian Popescu, a former footballer who once played for Galatasaray, were found in his possession.

"THEY MAY HAVE ISSUED DOCUMENTS IN MY NAME"

In his statement, Özer said, "During the time I was in Albania as a fugitive, the people who provided me with the address where I stayed may have issued documents in my name. I have never seen the Romanian ID card and Romanian driver's license issued in the name of Adrian Popescu, which you asked me about, and which bear my photograph. An individual I knew as Bobi, who provided me with a place to stay in Albania, had asked me for a passport-sized photo at that time, and I gave it to him. Since I did not leave the address where I stayed during my time in Albania, I did not have to use any ID or driver's license. Therefore, I never used the Romanian ID card and driver's license you asked me about. I only learned about the existence of such an ID card when the law enforcement units there told me that there was an ID card issued in my name when I was arrested in Albania. This is all I have to say."

THE DOCUMENT WAS DETERMINED TO BE FAKE

The indictment noted that as a result of the examinations carried out on the seized documents by the Istanbul Regional Criminal Police Laboratory Directorate, comparative examinations between the Romanian ID card issued in the name of former Galatasaray footballer Adrian Popescu and the Romanian driver's license also issued in the name of Adrian Popescu against the original samples in the laboratory archive revealed differences from the originals, and it was determined that the ID card and driver's license in question were fake.

Stating that it is established that Özer committed the crime he is accused of by using the fake ID and driver's license with his photograph on it in Albania, a prison sentence of 2 to 5 years was requested for the crime of "forgery of an official document."

Within the framework of the indictment accepted by the Anatolian Criminal Court of First Instance, the defendant is expected to appear before the judge in the coming days.

News Source: 12punto