The US Department of State has sent a letter to the prosecutor's office for the extradition of Eylem Tok to Turkey.

There has been a new development regarding Eylem Tok, the mother of 17-year-old Timur Cihantimur who caused the death of Oğuz Murat Aci in Istanbul Eyüpsultan by driving without a license on the night of March 1, 2024. The US Department of State has taken action for Tok's extradition to Turkey.

"BOTH CRIMES MEET THE NECESSARY CONDITIONS FOR EXTRADITION"

The US Department of State sent a letter to the prosecutor's office for the extradition of Eylem Tok to Turkey. The letter in the court file stated that "based on new information informally obtained from the Turkish Government, the US Department of State has determined that both crimes related to the extradition of Eylem Tok meet the requirements under the bilateral extradition agreement between the US and Turkey."

"NEW INFORMATION STRENGTHENED TURKEY'S REQUEST"

The statement said, "Initially, the department only considered the charge of protecting the guilty to be submitted to the court. However, the new information provided by Turkey showed that the crime of destroying, concealing, or altering evidence should also be considered by the court. This new information strengthened Turkey's extradition request and led the Department of State to evaluate these crimes within the framework of the extradition agreement."

In the letter added to the file addressed to Kristin Kearney, the prosecutor at the John Joseph Moakley Boston Federal Court, who is handling Tok's case, it was stated that after Turkey presented the new information to the Ministry through diplomatic channels, the Department of State is expected to sign a new declaration stating that both crimes in Turkey's original request are within the framework of the extradition agreement.

ACCELERATION OF THE PROCESS IS EXPECTED

This declaration aims to expedite the process regarding Turkey's extradition request. The acceptance of the two main crimes alleged by Turkey, namely "protecting the guilty" and "destroying, concealing, or altering evidence," within the framework of the extradition agreement by the US Department of State increases the possibility of extradition.

WHAT HAPPENED?

On March 1, around 23:50, in Istanbul's Eyüpsultan district, Oğuz Murat Aci lost his life when Timur Cihantimur, driving a luxury car, collided with 3 ATV vehicles parked on the side of the road due to a malfunction.

After the accident, the unlicensed driver Timur Cihantimur was first taken to Egypt and then to the US by his mother Eylem Tok. Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office initiated an investigation into the incident and issued an arrest warrant for Eylem Tok on March 2 at around 03:50 for the crime of "protecting the guilty," and for Timur Cihantimur for the crimes of "involuntary manslaughter and injury," requesting a red notice to be issued for them.

Turkey requested the extradition of the mother and son from the US last month. Timur Cihantimur and Eylem Tok were captured in Boston, USA, on June 14th, Friday, in an operation carried out by the police.