Interim ruling announced in the trial of sisters Bahar and Nihal Candan

An interim ruling has been announced in the trial of 21 defendants, in which Alisya Bahar Candan faces up to 44 years in prison and Gülnihal Çiçek, known as Nihal Candan, faces up to 24 years in prison on charges of fraud and membership in a criminal organization.

The court decided to continue the detention of all imprisoned defendants and adjourned the hearing.

The interim ruling was announced during the hearing of the case, in which Alisya Bahar Candan faces 14 to 44 years in prison and Gülnihal Çiçek, known as Nihal Candan, faces 8 to 24 years in prison on charges of fraud and membership in a criminal organization. 

The court decided to continue the detention of all imprisoned defendants and adjourned the hearing to Friday, September 20.

FROM THE INDICTMENT

The indictment prepared by the Küçükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office included 38 complainants, 1 complainant-suspect, and 21 defendants, including Nihal and Bahar Candan. The indictment also noted that the detained Gülnihal Çiçek had been released under judicial control, taking into account the time she had spent in detention. The indictment stated that the network led by Onur Apaydın and İlker Oflu defrauded citizens using the "sazan sarmalı" (carp spiral) method by claiming they were selling vehicles at low prices. It was recorded in the indictment that Bahar and Nihal Candan were part of the hierarchical and organic structure of the criminal organization. 

The indictment further stated, “The suspects had previously participated in various television programs for a long time, appeared in tabloid programs after becoming famous, and because they reached a large number of followers on social media platforms, they possessed the status of what is currently called a social media influencer and screen personality; therefore, they were figures recognized by broad segments of society, and due to this feature, they played an active role in deceiving victims during special meetings organized by the criminal organization for fraudulent activities.” 

The indictment stated that organization leader Onur Apaydın conducted banking activities through Alisya Bahar Candan, who held the position of 'secret accountant and treasurer' within the organization, and that the proceeds of the crime were laundered. On the other hand, suspect Hacı İsrafil Sağlam, who was responsible for procuring victims, stated in his testimony included in the indictment that he attended organization meetings, saying, “Everyone from the upper echelon attended the meetings. Field staff and lower levels could never attend. Everyone in the upper management of the organization participated. I saw Nihal Candan in two of the meetings. 

Nihal Candan was the girlfriend of organization leader Onur Apaydın. Other individuals showed respect to Nihal Candan and kept their distance. In the presence of Nihal Candan, topics regarding the internal functioning of the organization and car buying and selling businesses were discussed,” it was stated in the indictment that he had testified.

The indictment requested that Bahar Candan be sentenced to a total of 14 to 44 years in prison for the crimes of 'membership in a criminal organization' (2 to 4 years) 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' (twice, 12 to 40 years each), and that Nihal Candan be sentenced to 8 to 24 years in prison for the same crimes. Meanwhile, varying prison sentences were requested for the other 20 suspects.

News Source: İHA