23.12.2025 12:41
In the second operation carried out in Istanbul, 28 suspects were detained on charges of illegal betting and fraud against PAYCO Electronic Money and Payment Services Inc. The suspects allegedly attempted to launder their criminal proceeds through electronic money infrastructures.
In a statement made by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, an investigation was launched by the Bureau for the Prevention of the Financing of Terrorism and Money Laundering against PAYCO Electronic Money and Payment Services Inc. and company officials for "violating Law No. 7258 on the Regulation of Betting and Gambling in Football and Other Sports Competitions" and "money laundering of assets derived from crime." It was determined through the Central Bank's audit report and MASAK analyses that the criminal proceeds obtained from illegal betting and illegal forex/fraud activities were systematically funneled into the financial system by facilitating the transfer of money through organizations providing electronic money and payment services, and subsequently attempted to be laundered through numerous domestic and foreign companies.
INVESTIGATION DEEPENED
In a simultaneous operation organized by the Istanbul Provincial Gendarmerie Command Cyber Crime Combat Branch in Istanbul, Ankara, Kocaeli, and Yalova, 11 suspects were detained. While 9 of the suspects were arrested, 2 were released under judicial control. With the deepening of the investigation and in light of new evidence obtained, it was stated that some suspects, who served as software engineers, information technology (IT) personnel, and project managers within the organizational structure, actively participated in the transfer and concealment of criminal proceeds obtained from illegal betting and illegal forex/fraud activities through electronic money infrastructures, software systems, and financial routing mechanisms, thus committing the crime of "facilitating the transfer of money."
SECOND OPERATION
In the investigation, a second operation was conducted against suspects who were assessed to have taken an active role in operational, administrative, and technical processes within the organizational hierarchy, participating in activities related to the routing of criminal proceeds through software infrastructures, management of electronic money accounts, and concealment of financial flows.
In a statement made by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was stated, "In simultaneous operations carried out by the Istanbul Provincial Gendarmerie Command Cyber Crime Combat Branch in Istanbul, Adana, Ankara, Antalya, Kocaeli, and Yalova, 28 suspects were captured and detained. Searches and seizure operations were conducted at their addresses to clarify the suspects' roles and positions within the organization, obtain financial and digital evidence, trace the proceeds of crime, and preserve evidence, and these operations are ongoing. The investigation continues to be conducted in a multifaceted and meticulous manner to protect financial security, prevent the entry of criminal proceeds into the economic system, and reveal all aspects of the organizational structure."