Somali President's son released after giving statement

It has been learned that Mohammed Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the son of the Somali President, who faced an arrest warrant and up to 6 years in prison for allegedly causing the death of motorcycle courier Yunus Emre Göçer in Istanbul's Fatih district, was brought to an interim hearing.

The defendant, Muhammed Hasan Şeyh Mahmud, and his lawyer attended the hearing at the Istanbul 33rd Criminal Court of First Instance.

In his defense during the hearing, the defendant stated that he was driving the vehicle at the time of the incident.

The defendant stated that he had been driving for 5-10 minutes after exiting the Eurasia Tunnel, and explained that there was a motorcycle speeding in front of him, which suddenly stopped and turned toward the right side of the road.

The defendant continued his words as follows:

"Even though I hit the brakes, I could not prevent the collision. At that moment, I was traveling at approximately 55 kilometers per hour. I had seen the motorcycle in front of me moving. However, since the motorcycle stopped and turned suddenly, and I was not expecting this situation, I could not prevent the collision."

The defendant's lawyer, Şeyda Yıldırım, requested that her client be exempted from future hearings and released.

Announcing its interim decision, the court ruled for the release of the Somali President's son.

The court ruled to lift the arrest warrant against the defendant and also decided to lift the judicial control measure that included a travel ban.

The hearing was adjourned to January 16.

FROM THE INDICTMENT

The indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office states that the suspect Mahmud, who had an arrest warrant against him, struck motorcycle courier Yunus Emre Göçer with his vehicle on November 30, 2023, in the direction of Aksaray on Kennedy Street.

The indictment, which includes information that Göçer was taken to the hospital in critical condition following the collision and passed away on December 6, 2023, notes that the suspect claimed in his statement that the incident occurred because the motorcycle driver attempted to turn from a road where turning was prohibited, and that he himself was not at fault.

The indictment records that, according to the reports received, no alcohol or drugs were found in the blood of either Göçer or the suspect.

The indictment includes information that the expert report found Göçer to be without fault and the suspect to be primarily at fault, while the Forensic Medicine Institute Traffic Specialization Department's report dated December 19, 2023, determined that the suspect was primarily at fault and Göçer was partially at fault.

The indictment states that motorcycle courier Göçer's wife, Öznur Göçer, declared in her statements on December 13 and 15 that she was filing a complaint against the suspect, but in her statement on December 20, she declared that she "did not have any complaints at this stage."

The indictment, which conveys that it is understood from the footage within the file, Forensic Medicine Institute reports, police reports, and the entire content of the file that the suspect caused Göçer's death through his negligent act, requests that Muhammed Hasan Şeyh Mahmud be sentenced to 2 to 6 years in prison for the crime of "causing death by negligence."