The structure of the criminal organization has been revealed; they defrauded 36,000 people out of 10 billion TL.

The teams of the Yalova Police Department took action after evaluating reports that individuals were defrauded by being forced to sign contracts with promises of timeshare and free vacations at hotels in Yalova. Following permission obtained from the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the teams determined that a tourist hotel and its facilities invited individuals they contacted here with promises of free vacations, convincing them with specially trained personnel, applying psychological pressure, and making them sign contracts with promises of selling timeshare shares.

After obtaining permission from the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, a simultaneous operation was conducted on June 10 in Yalova, Istanbul, Aydın, Adana, and Kütahya to capture 30 suspects through technical and physical surveillance. In the operation, 29 individuals were detained. After their processing, 11 individuals, including Orhan Karaderili (52), who is accused of being the leader of a criminal organization for profit, his wife Elvan Karaderili (55), the company's CEO Tevfik Murat Talas (51), and actor Yusuf Atala (67), who played a role in advertisements, were arrested, while 16 individuals were released under judicial control, and 2 were released by the prosecutor's office. In a second operation, 3 of the 10 detained individuals were arrested, while 7 were released under judicial control. In the ongoing investigation, 6 more suspects were detained and released under judicial control.

"THEY DEFRAUDED AT LEAST 36 THOUSAND PEOPLE FOR 10 BILLION LIRA"

In the investigation where previously filed complaints that were dismissed were re-examined, it was determined that the suspects convinced individuals they hosted at their facilities for timeshare and cheap vacations to sign contracts through specially trained personnel. It is claimed that they obtained unjust gains of 10 billion lira from at least 36 thousand individuals, including judges, prosecutors, and high-level bureaucrats.

ONLY 1 DAY OF VACATION IN 5 THOUSAND YEARS

In the joint investigation conducted by the Yalova Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and the Police Department, it was calculated that individuals defrauded with the dream of buying timeshare and having cheap vacations could only spend 1 day at the facility in 5 thousand years. The account movements of other companies and individuals to whom the fraudsters transferred the money they obtained are also being specially examined. Applications have been made to seize the accounts of these individuals and appoint a trustee to their companies.

THEY DEFRAUDED VICTIMS WITH PROMISES OF RESCUING THEM

Meanwhile, it was revealed that individuals who took the phone and identity information of those defrauded while leaving the criminal organization formed within the scope of the investigation called the victims one by one, saying, "They defrauded you. We know. We are aware of what you have experienced. We will take your money back with interest," and defrauded these individuals. It was stated that the Yalova police also detained these individuals as part of the investigation.

3 CONSUMER COURTS ESTABLISHED AFTER COMPLAINTS

In Yalova, due to the lack of complaints, the civil court handling fraud cases was unable to respond to the increasing complaints after the timeshare and cheap vacation incidents, leading to the establishment of a Consumer Court for the first time in the courthouse. After the increasing applications, as the Consumer Court was also insufficient, 2 more Consumer Courts were established. Following the intense applications, the establishment of the 4th Consumer Court at the Yalova Courthouse is also on the agenda.

SEPARATE PRISON SENTENCES REQUESTED FOR 156 COMPLAINANTS AGAINST THE DEFENDANTS

The investigation conducted by the Yalova Chief Public Prosecutor's Office based on the complaints of 156 victims was completed in 4.5 months. In the 602-page indictment, detained defendants Orhan Karadereli, Yusuf Atala, Aral Sarıtürk (53), Celal Okay (36), Çağatay Kermen (59), Kaan Karadereli (56), Mehtap Coşkun Tuna (57), Koray Öngen (53), and 30 defendants tried without detention are accused of 'Fraud by cooperative managers within the scope of the cooperative's activities,' 'Establishing an organization for committing crimes,' and 'Bribery,' with a request for separate prison sentences of at least 11 years and a maximum of 30 years for each of the 156 complainants.

THEY DEFRAUDED 45 COMPLAINANTS IN A CHAIN

In the indictment, it was recorded that the suspects defrauded 45 complainants in a chain, and the actions of the suspects who allegedly made payments to 36 complainants were carried out in a hierarchical structure gathered for a specific purpose, following orders and implementing them.

PHONE CALLS INCLUDED IN THE INDICTMENT

The leader of the criminal organization, as determined by the prosecutor, was identified as Orhan Karaderili, the owner of the companies, while 37 defendants were listed as members in the scheme. The indictment also included records of phone calls and WhatsApp messages exchanged between the defendants, indicating that the suspects contacted customers with invitations of 'You have won a free vacation' to their hotels, and that they were monitored by individuals who received special persuasion training, subjecting customers to mandatory promotions, eliminating their opportunity to review, research, and consult the content of the contract, and preventing customers from knowing what they were purchasing. It was noted that they kept individuals who wanted to leave the hotels by saying 'There is no vehicle,' and promised that the place sold would be sold to foreigners at a high price shortly after, and that unused days would be rented out with the payment returned to the customer. It was also recorded that the suspects eliminated information about complaints published on various platforms against them in the phone records.

The indictment was accepted by the Yalova 1st Heavy Criminal Court, and the trial of the defendants will begin in the coming days.