Fourth hearing in the Ezgi Apartment case begins: Expert witness objection from Ersan Şen
The trial regarding the Ezgi Apartment, one of the symbolic buildings of the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes, continues. In the fourth hearing of the case, the presiding judge announced that a lawsuit has been filed against public officials.
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The fourth hearing of the Ezgi Apartment case, which became a grave for 35 people in the February 6, 2023, Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes, has begun at the Kahramanmaraş 4th High Criminal Court.
According to a report by Birgün, it was observed that fugitive defendants Sami Kervancıoğlu and Mustafa Pekel did not attend the hearing once again.
FUGITIVE DEFENDANTS DID NOT ATTEND THE HEARING AGAIN
In the case where the fugitive owners of Kervan Pastaneleri, Sami Kervancıoğlu and Mustafa Pekel, are being tried with a request for up to 876 years in prison each, the defendants did not attend the hearing once again. However, Prof. Dr. Ersan Şen, one of the defendants' lawyers, was present in the courtroom.
EXPERT WITNESS OBJECTION FROM ERSAN ŞEN
Lawyer Ersan Şen objected to the hearing of civil engineer Şeref Alpago as an expert witness.
Şen stated, "The court did not take into account the second expert report submitted to the file. Our requests for the removal of the arrest warrants issued for my clients have not been answered. Furthermore, we believe that Şeref Alpago cannot be heard as an expert witness." However, the court panel rejected the objections and decided to hear Alpago as an expert witness.
NEW EXPERT REQUEST
During the hearing, it was requested that a new red notice be issued for the fugitive defendants Sami Kervancıoğlu and Mustafa Pekel.
Additionally, the issue of sending the file to an expert for the third time was brought up. The victims' lawyers emphasized that attempts are being made to make the earthquake cases forgotten and requested that the new expert report be obtained from METU (ODTÜ).
PUBLIC OFFICIALS WILL ALSO BE TRIED
The Presiding Judge announced that an indictment has been prepared against 7 public officials who were previously not granted permission for investigation, and that these individuals will also be tried.
The 6th Administrative Case Chamber of the Gaziantep Regional Administrative Court had found the Kahramanmaraş Governorship's decision not to grant investigation permission for 7 municipal officials to be unlawful and had canceled it.
The latest expert report regarding the Ezgi Apartment case, which collapsed in the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes resulting in the loss of 35 lives, was not accepted by the court panel, and a new expert report was requested. The hearing was adjourned until December 13.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Only the apartment caretaker Mulla Kenger and his son Mesut Kenger were rescued alive from the 10-story Ezgi Apartment in the Onikişubat district of Maraş, while 35 people lost their lives.
The owners of Kervan Pastanesi, Sami Kervancıoğlu and Mustafa Pekel, who are accused of causing the building's collapse and face up to 876 years in prison each, and whose defense is led by Ersan Şen, have been fugitives for approximately one year.
The Social Security Institution (SGK), affiliated with the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, purchased 40,000 units of half-fat Maraş ice cream from "Alpedo Gıda Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi," owned by fugitive defendants Kervancıoğlu and Pekel, on April 30, 2024. With the purchase made through the direct procurement method, exactly 460,000 TL was paid to the Alpedo Company from the institution's coffers.