Seçil Erzan retrial opens after appeals court overturns 102-year sentence

September 12, 2026 at 01:04 AM2 min

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A Turkish court on Thursday began retrial proceedings for former bank manager Seçil Erzan after an appeals court overturned her 102-year, 4-month prison sentence for aggravated fraud and forgery. Erzan, who was brought from prison to Istanbul 29th High Criminal Court, denied running a Ponzi scheme and claimed she owed no money to anyone. The court ordered her continued detention and adjourned the hearing to October 9.

Key Facts

The Istanbul Regional Court of Justice 22nd Criminal Chamber overturned the 102-year, 4-month sentence against Seçil Erzan on procedural grounds.
The retrial hearing took place at Istanbul 29th High Criminal Court on September 11, 2026.
The court ruled to keep Erzan in detention and adjourned the hearing to October 9.
Erzan claimed she sold all of her parents' assets and was beaten in front of her mother on the day she signed promissory notes.

Appeals Court Reversal

The Istanbul Regional Court of Justice 22nd Criminal Chamber completed its appellate review of the 102-year, 4-month sentence imposed by Istanbul 41st High Criminal Court for aggravated fraud and forgery. The chamber found that the trial court failed to include information about the merged case files in its ruling, which hindered judicial oversight. It also noted that certain procedural rules were not applied during the trial, leading to the reversal of the conviction. The case was sent back to the local court for a new trial.

Erzan's Defense

Erzan told the court that for three years her statements were disregarded and decisions were consistently made against her. She said only her prosecution statements were used as evidence due to alleged contradictions with her other testimony, and that she lacked adequate legal support. Erzan denied establishing a system or promising high interest, and challenged that if footballer Arda Turan had any outstanding claim against her, she should be punished. She claimed Turan received his money back within 15 days and that she sold all of her parents' assets after failing to repay her friends.