UPDATE - Turkey nabs 62 suspects in probe into cryptocurrency

UPDATES WITH JUSTICE MINISTRY INVESTIGATION

By Halil Demir

ISTANBUL (AA) - Police on Friday arrested 62 suspects in Turkey as a part of an investigation into a cryptocurrency exchange platform, Thodex, the website of which is currently inaccessible, a security source said on Friday.

The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued detention warrants for 78 suspects over their alleged links to Thodex, the source said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

While police teams carried out simultaneous raids in eight different provinces to nab 62 out of a total of 78 suspects, efforts are underway to arrest the remaining suspects.

Also, a large number of digital materials and documents were seized during the operations.

The Justice Ministry has separately initiated legal action against Fatih Faruk Ozer for the search with the red notice and for his repatriation from Albania.

Turkey's Interior Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that Ozer had left the country for Albania.

Earlier, the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Istanbul appealed to Thodex staff for their testimonies on the platform, which has allegedly upset hundreds of thousands of members.

Abdullah Usame Ceran, a lawyer, filed a criminal complaint against Ozer, the founder and CEO of the platform, alleging "aggravated fraud."

After some transaction issues, the platform had shared releases on Monday and Tuesday, announcing a six-hour maintenance period.

On Wednesday, the platform made another announcement, saying it would enter a partnership and that members would be able to make transactions again after a five-day maintenance period.

Meanwhile, Turkey's financial crimes watchdog announced that it had blocked all of the platform's bank accounts in the country as of Wednesday.

Turkey's Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) initiated an investigation into the person in charge and the company.