First hearing held in İzmir electrocution tragedy: 'If we had damaged it, it would have shocked us'

The defendants were charged with "causing the death of more than one person by conscious negligence," facing up to 22.5 years in prison. The indictment requested separate sentencing for each of the 42 defendants for the victims who lost their lives.

The hearing, held at the İzmir 10th High Criminal Court, was attended by İZSU General Manager Gürkan Erdoğan, GDZ Elektrik Distribution General Manager Uğur Yüksel, Gediz Elektrik Distribution A.Ş. Metropolitan Regional Manager Ali Arcan, Gediz Elektrik Distribution System Operation and Maintenance Manager Ekrem Yıldırım, and Construction Works Specialist Alper Doğan.

Former İZSU General Manager Ali Hıdır Köseoğlu attended the hearing via the SEGBİS video conferencing system. The hearing was also attended by TRNC Minister of Public Works and Transportation Erhan Arıklı, TRNC Consul General in İzmir Ayşen Volkan İnanıroğlu, lawyers for the parties, and the families.

AKP AND MHP FIGURES OBSERVED THE HEARING

The first session of the trial was held in two parts. During the first session, the statements of the 4 defendants in custody were taken, while the second session continued with the statements of the other defendants.

AKP İzmir Deputy Mahmut Atilla Kaya, AKP İzmir Provincial Chairman Bilal Saygılı, and MHP İzmir Provincial Chairman Veysel Şahin also attended the second session to observe the proceedings.

DEFENDANTS GAVE STATEMENTS

During the hearing, as the defendants' statements were taken, the focus remained on the faulty cable where the leakage occurred, as well as the detection, repair, and monitoring process of the cable.

Barış Sevgili, a detained defendant working as a laborer for Argan Mühendislik, the company that won the İZSU grate tender, said in his statement:

"I worked in the field during the implementation. We did not damage the cables in any way. I request my acquittal."

The defense attorney for the defendant stated that the technical specifications provided by İZSU for the work indicated the power line was at a depth of 50 centimeters, but it was found at 15 centimeters during the work.

While the dimensions of the grates and whether the cables were damaged were discussed during the hearing, Sevgili stated, "The grates were made 30 by 30. We did not lift the cables; we kept them suspended. There was no lifting."

KILIÇ: "THE CONCRETE WE POURED THERE WAS BROKEN DURING THE GDZ WORKS ON JANUARY 9"

Doğan Kılıç, who worked as a site manager at Argan Mühendislik, argued that the expert report was flawed and said:

"There is no defect in the construction we performed. We are shown the point where we will perform the construction. We do it. We do not have the authority to determine the location. The expert report is flawed. It is claimed that we damaged the cables by watching a 1.5-minute video. We did not damage the cables. The expert report shows that we damaged the cable. We have footage of our work from January 3-4. It can be seen that we did not cause any damage. If we had caused damage, our friends would have been electrocuted. After us, İZSU and GDZ performed work there. Why is it said that only we caused the damage? The concrete we poured there was broken during the GDZ works on January 9. That is why the cables were squeezed in between. Furthermore, if we had made a mistake, İZSU would not have approved our work. GDZ's invoice would have been deducted from our progress payment. The expert report is flawed. I request that a new expert report be obtained."

AKBAY: WE INTERVENED WITH FRIENDS

Fırat Akbay, who works as a laborer in the fault repair team at Gediz Elektrik A.Ş., said:

"On January 9, citizens stopped us on the road. It was an emergency. We created a fault record. I intervened with my friend. We cut the power and intervened. We closed it when we finished our work," he said.

Akbay's lawyer stated in his statement:

"The line my client repaired is in no way the cable that caused the accident. The cable in question is a leaking cable that got stuck between the grates. The cable my client spliced is still intact."

AYTULUN: "I DO NOT ACCEPT THE ACCUSATIONS"

One of the detained defendants, İZSU employee Mehmet Zeki Aytulun, said, "I do not accept the accusation. I request my release."

TOSUN: A REPORT WAS ONLY RECEIVED ON JANUARY 9

Mehmet Fatih Tosun, who works as a fault repair manager at GDZ Enerji Yatırımları A.Ş., stated in his testimony that the expert report provided incorrect information and said:

"I started working as a fault repair manager in February 2022. I am a regional manager. I work in a managerial position in 11 districts. I am not aware of the work at the scene on January 9. There was no flow of information to me from the lower-level employees. I learned about the incident while in custody on August 17. It is impossible for me to follow all the work done in an organization that works 24/7 or to know the possible risks. The expert report states that there were frequent faults in the area subject to the investigation. From 2022 to July 12, 2024, only one report was received from the region on January 9. The point of the incident and the point subject to the expert report are different. The expert has linked the two points. I do not accept the points in the indictment against me. I do not accept that I have any responsibility for the negligence that occurred."

When asked by defense attorneys about his statements in an interview with a TV channel after the incident regarding İZSU damaging the cables during their work in the area on January 4, 2024, Tosun replied:

"We saw in the expert report that the cable got stuck in the grate after İZSU worked there on January 4. The cable I showed in the interview is that cable. How did that cable get into my hands? When I was in the field with the expert, I asked if they would take that cable. They said they wouldn't. I told my teammates to take it, thinking it might be evidence in the future."

'NEW EXPERT EXAMINATION' REQUEST

One of the defense attorneys called on the İzmir Bar Association, which is intervening in the case, to initiate proceedings regarding the "destruction of evidence" after material that could be evidence was given to a suspect, saying, "I want the cable to be brought and examined by a new expert."

CEYLAN: "NO UNRESOLVED REPORT WAS FORWARDED"

One of the detained defendants, Mert Ceylan, a fault repair engineer at GDZ Enerji Yatırımları A.Ş., said in his statement:

"When there is an unresolved situation in the field, they inform the technical chiefs. If it cannot be resolved, I am informed. During my two-month job probation period, no unresolved report was forwarded to me. There has been no fault here in the 10-month period. There is only the work on January 9. If there are very frequent reports, we state that it is something that cannot be solved by fault repair and that the cables need to be renewed. It is impossible for me to control all field work in a system that works 24/7."

TÜRKAN: "WE FIXED OUR CABLE FAULT"

Detained defendant Mesut Türkan, a laborer in the fault repair unit at Gediz Elektrik A.Ş., stated that the cable they repaired was not the one repaired on January 9 and subsequently caused the death, saying:

"We saw that there was a fault and a leak. We cut the power and saw that the leak was gone. We fixed our cable fault. There was no leak afterwards. The cable we repaired is a different one. The cable that caused the death is another one. The cable we repaired is not at 20 centimeters, it is further down. We did not break the concrete underneath. We only broke the concrete at the corner. That has nothing to do with the accident."

KARABİLGİN: "I AM A VICTIM"

Detained defendant Ömer Karabilgin, a branch manager at the İZSU Sewerage Department, said in his statement:

"As a result of my research, there is information that construction was carried out here on January 4. Later, there appears to be an operation by GDZ Elektrik. I was taken into custody on July 14. Since then, I have been a victim. I request my acquittal."

Karabilgin's defense attorney stated:

"A discovery must be made at the scene. An expert examination must be carried out urgently. Crucial evidence has been handed over to the defendants."

ÜNER: "I EXAMINE THE INCOMING FAULT REQUESTS"

Detained defendant Yavuz Üner from the GDZ Eyyaş Fault Unit stated that his job was desk-based and said:

"I answer daily emails. I examine incoming fault requests. The team notifies us of fault records. We start work at 08.00. Friends who come at 07.00 forward the fault requests. We direct the requests. We have daily faults coming to our call center. Reports were received not continuously from the location of the incident, but in 2019 and on January 9."

After the first session, which lasted about 11 hours, the presiding judge adjourned the hearing until tomorrow to decide on the requests for detention or release of the detained defendants.