The price of 48 lives: 13 years and 4 months!

Ali Serdar Kazancı, the contractor of the Serdarbey Apartment building that collapsed in the Kahramanmaraş earthquake, was sentenced to 13 years and 4 months in prison for causing the deaths of 48 people.

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In Kahramanmaraş, the epicenter of the February 6, 2023 earthquakes described as the "disaster of the century," the contractor of the Serdarbey Apartment building, where 48 people lost their lives, was sentenced to 13 years and 4 months in prison.

The lawyers for the parties were present at the hearing held at the Kahramanmaraş 1st High Criminal Court. The defendant, Ali Serdar Kazancı, who was being tried without arrest, did not attend the hearing.

During the hearing, the plaintiffs' lawyer, Emrullah Kurar, requested that the defendant be punished.

The defendant's lawyer, Necati Dağ, claimed that his client was innocent and requested an acquittal.

Following the defense statements, the court sentenced the defendant Ali Serdar Kazancı to 13 years and 4 months in prison for the crime of "causing the death and injury of more than one person through conscious negligence."

The lawsuit against Kazancı was filed following an investigation conducted by the Kahramanmaraş Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the Serdarbey Apartment building, which collapsed in the 7.7-magnitude earthquake centered in Pazarcık, located in the Şazibey neighborhood of the Onikişubat district, resulting in the deaths of 48 people.