Testimonies continue in the Seçil Erzan case

The trial of bank branch manager Seçil Erzan, who is accused of defrauding 28 people, including well-known football players 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 high-yield, reliable fund and that names like Fatih Terim were also involved, has continued.

The hearing, held by the Istanbul 41st High Criminal Court with 7 defendants, was attended by detained defendants Seçil Erzan and Ali Yörük, as well as 4 non-detained defendants. Some of the complainants also attended the hearing with their lawyers.

"IT MEANT I WOULD BE FIRED THE NEXT DAY"

In her defense against the witness testimony of her first-degree supervisor Sermin Tekin, Seçil Erzan said, "During those periods, due to restrictions and sanctions on foreign currency, they would ask us for very serious explanations and documents even when 50 thousand dollars were withdrawn from a customer account. Systems and records are important in a bank. There is a principle in the bank called 'separation of powers'.

Personnel abuse was a matter the bank paid great attention to in order to prevent it. My biggest fear was the fear of being fired. It was strictly forbidden for me to touch that money inside the bank. A branch manager taking money in suitcases from her office and depositing it downstairs meant I would be fired the next day.

This was definitely a matter that needed to be investigated. Even if a tea server saw it, it was a matter they should have paid attention to and reported immediately. It was never a matter that should have gone unnoticed. She was my supervisor, and because she was a woman, I wanted to speak with Ms. Sermin. Ms. Sermin called me.

I was already expecting something like this. I said I couldn't pull it together. That day, I was expecting Ms. Sermin to say, 'Seçil, you are being fired.' It was forbidden for us to even touch the money," she said.

"I DON'T THINK SHE WAS A MANAGER WHO CARED ABOUT HER STAFF"

Testifying as a witness, bank teller Ümüş Nur Yiğit said, "At that time, we were on the lower floor of the bank, and the branch managers worked on the upper floor. Therefore, I had no opportunity to see the suitcases of money coming and going. Honestly, I don't think Ms. Seçil was a manager who cared about her staff because she was either outside or her mother was ill; I couldn't reach her in one way or another.

She would say she was in Çorlu and was constantly taking leave. Okan Turan, Arda Turan's brother, had withdrawn some money. It was something that happened after the doors were closed. He was sitting in the operations support area. When Ms. Seçil entered, we counted the money and handed it over. Ali Yörük also placed that money in a bag. We carried out the money withdrawal for Mr. Okan. I thought Mr. Ali was Fatih Terim's driver for a long time because I saw him with names from the football community.

He had also come with Okan Turan. He had also come with Emrah Çolak. When I asked him, 'How is the coach, is he well?', he brushed it off, but that's what I thought. Furthermore, I never saw Fatih Terim come to the branch," she stated.

"THERE IS A PANIC BUTTON UNDER HER DESK"

Testifying as a witness at the hearing, bank security guard Soner Topakkaya said, "I did not detect any difference in Seçil Erzan within the bank. She was only sometimes late for work arrival and departure times. There was no situation like the battery/assault that Seçil Erzan mentioned; even the police were not called.

If such a situation had occurred, there is a panic button under the managers' desks. That is a bank branch; every customer can come with a large bag. Seçil Erzan never asked me to carry money to a car. I never saw Ali Yörük. Semih Kaya, Arda Turan, Selçuk İnan, and Ayhan Akman would come to the branch.

I saw Emre Belözoğlu once. Semih Kaya came to the branch the most. I did not see any suitcases entering the branch or anyone in Ms. Seçil's office," he said.

ATTACK ON A MEMBER OF THE PRESS

While the witnesses were continuing to testify, the bank's lawyer, Kübra K., who stated she was in the courtroom as a spectator, shouted at a journalist when the journalist wanted to confirm the surname of one of the witnesses, saying that they could not ask that. When the journalist reacted to the shouting, the presiding judge ordered all spectators out of the courtroom on the grounds that the order of the hearing was disrupted.

Seeing that the lawyer continued to walk towards her and harass her in front of the hall, the journalist took out her phone to record these moments; this time, the lawyer quickly snatched the phone from the journalist's hand and hid it behind her back. At this moment, the security guard who intervened in the incident took the phone that the lawyer had hidden and returned it to the journalist. It was later learned that the journalist had filed a complaint against the lawyer.

After a short break, it was learned that while spectators, including members of the press, were not allowed back into the courtroom, the court decided in its interim ruling to continue the detention of defendants Ali Yörük and Seçil Erzan and adjourned the hearing to May 31 to hear the other witnesses.

News Source: İHA