'Tosuncuk' Mehmet Aydın: I was free abroad, so I sought refuge in Turkey because I am innocent.

The trial of 20 defendants, including Mehmet Aydın, also known as 'Tosuncuk', and his brother Fatih Aydın, who were arrested in the Çiftlik Bank case, continued. The trial, held at the 6th Heavy Penal Court of Anatolia, was attended by the detained defendants Mehmet Aydın and his brother Fatih Aydın via the Audio and Visual Informatics System (SEGBİS), while the defense lawyers were present in the courtroom.

'I WANT TO COMPENSATE THE DAMAGES WITH MY OWN MEANS'

Mehmet Aydın, who made his defense, said, "According to the expert report, the value of the companies under trusteeship can cover the damages of the plaintiffs. I have been in custody for 3 years. I was living freely abroad. I sought refuge in Turkey because I am innocent. If I am released, I want to compensate all the victims' damages with my own means before the opinion is announced. It is proven by the expert report that I have no intention of fraud."

DETENTION TO CONTINUE

The court board decided to continue the detention of the defendants Mehmet Aydın and Fatih Aydın. The board sent the file to the prosecutor of the trial to prepare its opinion.

FROM THE INDICTMENT

In 5 separate indictments prepared by the Anatolian Republic Prosecutor's Office, Mehmet Aydın, the founder of Çiftlik Bank and also known as 'Tosuncuk', and his brother Fatih Aydın are being charged with 'Establishing and managing an organization with the aim of committing a crime', 'Aggravated fraud by using information systems as a tool', and 'Aggravated fraud within the scope of commercial companies' activities', with a total prison sentence of up to 86,114 years.

WHAT IS THE ÇİFTLİK BANK INCIDENT?

Mehmet Aydın, the founder of the system known as "Çiftlik Bank" in the public, which caused many people to be victims with the promise of generating income, and who has been a fugitive for more than two years, was deported by Brazil upon Turkey's request.

Aydın, known as "Tosuncuk", was arrested on July 3, 2021, on the plane at Istanbul Airport, as part of the investigation initiated based on the complaints of 102 victims, on charges of "establishing an organization with the aim of committing a crime", "fraud by using information systems as a tool for banks or credit institutions", and "fraud by traders or company executives and cooperative managers". Fatih Aydın was also captured in Uruguay in July 2021 and brought to Turkey.