First confession in the Bolu fire tragedy that claimed 78 lives: They didn't do it because it was too expensive

As the investigation into the hotel fire tragedy in Bolu, which claimed the lives of 78 citizens, continues, a confession has come from Kadir Özdemir, an accountant who served as a manager in the accounting department of the Grand Kartal Hotel.

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First confession in the Bolu fire tragedy that claimed 78 lives: They didn't do it because it was too expensive

In the fire that broke out at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Bolu Kartalkaya Ski Center, 78 people, including 36 children, tragically lost their lives. While the investigation into the disaster continues, the lack of a fire safety system at the hotel had drawn attention.

First confession in the Bolu fire tragedy that claimed 78 lives: They didn't do it because it was too expensive

According to NTV, Kadir Özdemir, an accountant who served as a manager in the hotel's accounting department, confessed that these systems, which were the subject of a series of allegations, were not installed because they were too expensive. In his statement, Özdemir said that after the deficiencies in the systems were identified, he reported the situation to the hotel management and received the response that it would be "too costly."

First confession in the Bolu fire tragedy that claimed 78 lives: They didn't do it because it was too expensive

The inspection reported by Özdemir was conducted on December 12 by experts from the Bolu Municipality Fire Department. During this inspection, serious deficiencies were found in 8 main areas at the hotel, and it was requested that these deficiencies be rectified.

First confession in the Bolu fire tragedy that claimed 78 lives: They didn't do it because it was too expensive

Following this report, the hotel management discussed the matter among themselves. Detained defendant Kadir Özdemir said in his statement, "I learned from a person named C., who worked under me, that the fire department's inspection report was negative. Upon this, I informed my manager, Ahmet Demir, that the hotel had received a negative report regarding fire safety."

First confession in the Bolu fire tragedy that claimed 78 lives: They didn't do it because it was too expensive

Özdemir described the subsequent chain of events after he reported this situation as follows:

First confession in the Bolu fire tragedy that claimed 78 lives: They didn't do it because it was too expensive

"Upon this, Ahmet Demir spoke with Deputy Mayor Sedat Gülener. Sedat Gülener told him, 'Submit a cancellation petition.' Following this instruction, we prepared the cancellation petition. At the same time, I also discussed these issues with the General Manager of the Grand Kartal Hotel, Emir Aras. Emir Aras also told me, 'Rectifying these deficiencies is very expensive; if we can cancel the inspection, let's have it cancelled.' I then went to the Bolu Mayor's Office and said that I wanted my application to be cancelled."