Moral support from Nihal Candan to her brother appearing before the judge: Engin Polat went through it, you will too.

Social media influencers known as Bahar Candan and Nihal Candan, whose real name is Gülnihal Çiçek, were arrested and sent to prison on November 16, 2023, on charges of 'money laundering' and 'membership in a criminal organization'. Nihal Candan, who had dropped to 37 kilograms in prison due to health problems, was released due to her health problems. The trial of the 22 defendants, including the Candan sisters, is taking place for the second time before the Küçükçekmece 5th Heavy Penal Court within the scope of the indictment prepared by the Küçükçekmece Public Prosecutor's Office.

ENCOURAGED HER SISTER BY REFERRING TO ENGİN POLAT

Nihal Candan, who came to the courthouse with her lawyers, left the questions directed at her unanswered. Today's hearing began with the defense of the 6th defendant Ahmet Yasin Çelik. Then the imprisoned defendant Bahar Candan was brought to the courtroom under the escort of gendarmerie. When Bahar and Nihal Candan saw each other in the courtroom, they greeted each other. Nihal Candan, addressing her sister Bahar, said, "It's getting better. Engin Polat got out, you will get out too."

FROM THE INDICTMENT

In the indictment prepared by the Küçükçekmece Public Prosecutor's Office, there were 38 complainants, 1 complainant defendant, and 21 defendants, including Nihal and Bahar Candan. It was also stated in the indictment that Gülnihal Çiçek, who was detained, was released under judicial control taking into account the time she spent in detention. It was stated in the indictment that Onur Apaydın and İlker Oflu's gang defrauded people by saying that they sold cars cheaply using the carp method. It was stated in the indictment that Bahar and Nihal Candan were part of the hierarchical and organic structure of the criminal organization. In the continuation of the indictment, it was stated that "The suspects have participated in various television programs for a long time in the past, and after becoming famous, they have also appeared in gossip programs, and they have a title called a social media phenomenon and a face on the screen due to reaching a large number of followers on social media platforms. It was stated that they played an active role in deceiving the victims in special meetings organized by the criminal organization."

"NIHAL USED TO ATTEND MEETINGS, EVERYONE RESPECTED HER"

It was also stated in the indictment that the defendants had a close relationship with the organization leader Onur Apaydın. In the indictment, it was stated that the organization leader Onur Apaydın carried out banking activities through Alisya Bahar Candan, who was in the position of 'secret accountant and safe' within the organization, and that the proceeds of the crime were laundered.

On the other hand, suspect Hacı İsrafil Sağlam, who was responsible for providing victims, stated in his statement included in the indictment that he attended organization meetings and said, "Everyone from the upper management participated in the meetings. Field staff and lower-level personnel could never attend. Everyone in the top management of the organization participated. I saw Nihal Candan at two meetings. Nihal Candan was the girlfriend of the organization leader Onur Apaydın. Other individuals respected and kept their distance from Nihal Candan. Topics related to the internal functioning of the organization, such as car buying and selling, were discussed in the presence of Nihal Candan."

NIHAL FACES UP TO 24 YEARS, BAHAR FACES UP TO 44 YEARS IN PRISON

In the indictment, it was requested that Bahar Candan be sentenced to imprisonment for a total of 14 years to 44 years, 2 years to 4 years for 'membership in a criminal organization', and 2 times 12 years to 40 years for 'committing fraud by introducing oneself as a public official or as an employee of a bank, insurance, or credit institution or by claiming to be associated with these institutions', and Nihal Candan be sentenced to imprisonment for 8 years to 24 years for the same crimes. On the other hand, different prison sentences were requested for the other 20 suspects.