Sentences handed down in Halil Falyalı murder case
The verdict has been announced in the trial regarding the murder of Halil Falyalı, a casino operator in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and his driver, Murat Demirtaş.
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The verdict has been delivered in the trial regarding the murder of Halil Falyalı, a casino operator in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and his driver, Murat Demirtaş.
The sentencing decision for defendants Ömer Tunç, Veysel Sare, and Musa Çiçek, who were found guilty on 17 counts, was announced today.
The court sentenced Ömer Tunç to life imprisonment, Veysel Sare to 35 years, and Musa Çiçek to 20 years in prison.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Halil Falyalı was subjected to an armed attack while in his car in the Çatalköy area of the Kyrenia region on February 8, 2022, and was taken to the Nicosia Dr. Burhan Nalbantoğlu State Hospital in critical condition.
Falyalı, who was later transferred to the Near East University (NEU) Hospital, could not be saved, and his driver, Murat Demirtaş, lost his life at the scene. During searches conducted on February 14, 2022, in connection with the murder, two Kalashnikov rifles, 4 magazines and 39 cartridges belonging to these weapons, as well as a 9 mm caliber pistol, a magazine for the pistol, and 13 cartridges were found discarded in a creek bed approximately one kilometer west of the crime scene.
Ballistic examinations confirmed that these weapons were used in the incident. While Veysel Sare, Musa Çiçek, and Ömer Tunç were apprehended in the TRNC leg of the investigation, 8 suspects, including Mustafa Söylemez, who was caught in operations carried out in Turkey on February 9, 12, and 13, were taken into custody.
Veysel Sare, Musa Çiçek, and Ömer Tunç were sent to prison on March 4, 2022, to stand trial. The verdict regarding the defendants detained in Turkey was announced on January 19, 2024.
The Istanbul 36th High Criminal Court panel sentenced defendant Mustafa Söylemez to two life sentences for the crime of 'premeditated murder.' The court sentenced the other defendants, Abdurrahim Çelik, Cengiz Şener, and Ender Yıldız, to 12 years and 6 months each for 'aiding in premeditated murder,' totaling 25 years in prison for each.