Court to conduct on-site inspection in Beşiktaş fire case

A fire broke out during renovations at a nightclub operating on the minus 1 and minus 2 floors of a 16-story building in Gayrettepe, Beşiktaş, on April 2, resulting in the deaths of 29 people. The trial of the 22 defendants regarding the incident continued. Five detained defendants and the lawyers for the parties were present at the hearing held by the Istanbul 33rd High Criminal Court in the courtroom located at the Marmara Prison complex in Silivri. While some non-detained defendants and complainants attended the hearing, some complainants joined via the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS).

"WE WERE RENEWING FIRE EXTINGUISHERS EVERY YEAR"

Testifying as a witness at the hearing, Berna Çaltepe stated that she worked as an accounting manager at the nightclub, saying, "I have not witnessed a fire at the club before. I know from the invoices that the material to be used for the wall was fireproof. We were renewing the fire extinguishers every year. Şahzade Bey wanted to be informed about every subject. Occupational safety training was provided to the employees. We had a permanent occupational safety specialist. When the venue was open, there were 600-700 people. I know that no renovation permit was obtained because these events happened. When the club was active, there were green 'exit' signs. I don't remember everything in detail, but the invoices for these are available. I don't know if the extinguishers were working. I don't know if the accounting department was damaged in the fire."

"THE FIRE WAS SMALL AT FIRST BUT GREW VERY LARGE WITHIN 30 SECONDS"

Engin Eser, who stated that he worked as a waiter at the nightclub and testified as a witness, mentioned that he was caught in the fire at the club's entrance, saying, "I did not attend the occupational health and safety class. I did not witness the replacement of fire extinguishers. Since it was the last week, the stage was going to be set up on the day of the incident. The fire was small at first, but it grew very large within 30 seconds."

ON-SITE INSPECTION TO BE CONDUCTED

After the testimonies were taken, the court announced its interim decision and decided to conduct an on-site inspection at the scene on Monday, October 21. The panel, which ruled for the continuation of the detention of the detained defendants, adjourned the hearing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INCIDENT

A fire broke out during renovations at a nightclub operating on the minus 1 and minus 2 floors of a 16-story building in Gayrettepe, Beşiktaş, on April 2, resulting in the deaths of 29 people, including 2 foreign nationals. The investigation into the fire was completed, and an indictment was prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

In the prepared indictment, it was requested that 9 suspects be sentenced to prison terms ranging from 2 years and 8 months to 22.5 years each for the crime of 'causing the death and injury of more than one person through conscious negligence'.

Within the scope of the investigation, the Istanbul Governorship granted permission for an investigation into individuals, including former Beşiktaş Deputy Mayors. The investigation into the matter was completed and an indictment was prepared, in which it was requested that 13 suspects be sentenced to prison terms ranging from 2.5 years to 17 years each for the crimes of 'misconduct in office' and 'causing the death of more than one person through negligence'. It was decided to merge the 2 separate case files.

News Source: İHA