Nur Erkasap faces up to 30 years in prison in Seçil Erzan case

A new indictment has been prepared against Seçil Erzan and Nur Erkasap regarding the fraud case known to the public as the "high-yield secret fund."

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has prepared a new indictment with the request that it be merged with the ongoing case at the Istanbul 41st High Criminal Court, where 7 defendants, 2 of whom are in custody, are being tried.

In the indictment, Seçil Erzan is listed as a "suspect," Nur Erkasap as a "complainant-suspect," and Ömer Kahraman, Mert Zeydanlı, and Volkan Bahçekapılı as "complainants."

In her statement to the prosecutor included in the indictment, Erzan stated that Erkasap also wanted to invest in the fund she promised, but could not do so because she did not have cash on hand.

The indictment quotes Erzan as saying, "On a day I cannot recall the exact date of, we created a promissory note in my office at the branch with Nur Erkasap and Mert Zeydanlı present. Nur Erkasap was written as the debtor on this note. I acted as a guarantor. Zeydanlı was the creditor. Later, when the note matured, I spoke with Zeydanlı and had the note cancelled. I never received any cash from Erkasap."

In her statement to the prosecutor included in the indictment, Nur Erkasap explained that about 2 years ago, Seçil Erzan told her about a high-yield fund involving Hakan Ateş, that people were making a lot of money from it at the time, and that she decided to invest in it because she did not know how to manage her money.

Stating that she handed over 500 thousand dollars to Erzan in her office at the bank, and that Erzan made payments to her in amounts of one or two thousand dollars, Erkasap mentioned that she met frequently with Fatih Terim and his family, and that she knew the complainant Volkan Bahçekapılı because he is Terim's son-in-law.

Erkasap said that she sent the 1 million dollars that Bahçekapılı was going to send to Erzan to her own account because the matter was urgent, and that she delivered the money to Erzan on the same day.

Claiming that she did not know the complainant Ömer Kahraman, Erkasap explained that Erzan told her there was a deficit in the fund and that money might come into her account from time to time, asking her to withdraw these funds and deliver them to her; she added that she delivered the 5 million 884 thousand liras sent to her by Kahraman to Erzan.

Nur Erkasap argued that she met Mert Zeydanlı in the office of the bank where Seçil Erzan previously worked, stating that there was no commercial relationship between them and that no promissory note was signed between them as Erzan had claimed.

In his statement, complainant Ömer Kahraman also stated that he sent 5 million 884 thousand liras after Erzan asked him to send money to Erkasap's account due to a deficit in the fund.

Stating that he received money from Erzan under the name of fund returns in two installments of 100 and 150 thousand dollars, but that his principal was not returned, Kahraman said that Erzan convinced him by showing pictures of the fund on the bank's screen and claiming that the money was coming from abroad.

Kahraman filed a complaint against Erzan, Erkasap, and bank officials.

The indictment, which also refers to the report prepared by the bank's inspection board, includes the following statement: "To provide assurance regarding Mert Zeydanlı giving money to Seçil Erzan, Nur Erkasap gave Zeydanlı a promissory note for which she was the debtor. Volkan Bahçekapılı transferred 400 thousand dollars to Nur Erkasap's account to be delivered to Seçil Erzan. Based on these and the note written by Nur Erkasap, it is understood that the aforementioned person was aware of the transactions carried out by Seçil Erzan and acted in concert with Erzan."

Pointing out that Erkasap acted under the direction of the defendant Erzan, delivering the money that arrived in her account from time to time or that she personally went to collect to Erzan, the indictment emphasized that the relationship between Erkasap and Erzan went beyond a banker-customer relationship.

The indictment notes that although Erkasap was initially a victim who invested money in the fund promise by believing in Erzan, over time, as a result of the close relationship of trust she established with Erzan, she became aware of the fraudulent acts carried out by Erzan, yet did not end her relationship, and knowingly and willingly carried out qualified fraud acts against Mert Zeydanlı, Volkan Bahçekapılı, and Ömer Kahraman.

The indictment requests that Erkasap be sentenced to 9 to 30 years in prison for the crime 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," while it requests a 3 to 10-year prison sentence for Erzan for "fraud" against Erkasap.

The indictment, which was sent to the Istanbul 41st High Criminal Court, is currently being evaluated by the court panel.

93 TO 305 YEARS OF IMPRISONMENT REQUESTED

In the indictment of the main case continuing in the same court, it is recorded that the defendant Seçil Erzan worked as a manager at a bank's branch in Levent and took 2 million dollars from the complainant Bülent Çeviker based on a personal relationship of trust, telling him that she would return it to him with a high profit promise.

The indictment states that written documents were given to the complainant Çeviker in exchange for money, but that later, although Çeviker tried to reach Erzan, he could not, and that he reported the situation to the bank, an investigation was conducted by the bank, and a criminal complaint was filed against Erzan.

The indictment explains that the defendant Erzan convinced complainants from various professions, including footballers and business people, to invest money in this fund by telling them that there was a reliable fund with high profit returns and that well-known public figures such as Fatih Terim and Hakan Ateş were also involved in this fund, and it is stated that it was determined that no such fund actually existed.

The indictment records that Erzan created fake documents regarding the money given by the complainants, stamped these documents with the bank's seal and her wet signature, delivered them to the complainants, and acted with the intent to defraud.

A prison sentence of 93 to 305 years is requested for the defendant Erzan for the crimes of "forgery of private documents" and "qualified 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."

The indictment requests that defendants Ali Yörük, Kerem Can, Hüseyin Eligül, Nazlı Can, Atilla Yörük, and Asiye Öztürk be sentenced to 3 to 98 years in prison for the same crimes, and that defendant Rüya Sağır be sentenced to 3 to 10 years in prison for the crime of "qualified fraud."

News Source: AA