Trial continues for hotel fire in Bolu

The trial of 32 defendants, 19 of whom are in custody, including the hotel owner and municipal officials, regarding the Grand Kartal Hotel fire in Bolu, which claimed the lives of 78 people, continues. The 8th defendant to provide a defense was Secretary General of the Provincial Special Administration Sırrı Köstereli. Defendant Köstereli said, "All the work we do is within the knowledge of the Governor.

The Governor's Office has certainly been informed of all the work I have done and the activities of the affiliated units. We submit the decisions taken in the meetings held to the Governor's Office in the form of a report.

I am detained due to a process that cannot be attributed to me personally. I have been separated from my family and children for 5.5 months. My elderly parents are in tears. Throughout my life, I have tried to act in accordance with the law. Despite having no intent, error, or negligence, I request that my detention be evaluated from both a humanitarian and legal perspective. I request my release," he said.

"I AM NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE CONTENT AND DETAILS OF THE INSPECTIONS"

Emphasizing that it is not possible for him to know exactly where the inspections were carried out, Köstereli said, "In the meetings held regularly, I ask my colleagues, 'What did you do? What work did you carry out?' They generally tell me where they went and what procedures they performed. However, I am not directly familiar with the content and details of these inspections," he stated.

"WHY WAS NO ACTION TAKEN FOR 4 YEARS"

Stressing that the authority to inspect facilities granted a tourism operation certificate belongs to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Köstereli said the following:

"The inspection of such facilities is the duty and responsibility of the ministry directly, not local administrations. In 2021, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism sent a letter stating that the relevant hotel's Tourism Operation Certificate had been renewed. In the same letter, we were requested to report whether there was any problem regarding the licensing status of this facility. However, the letter in question was merely for informational purposes; it did not contain any inspection request or obligation. Despite this, following the fire incident, the Ministry launched an investigation citing why this document was not answered. If this document was so important, why was no action taken for 4 years? If this incident had happened 10 years later, would the Ministry have brought this document to the agenda then?" he said.

Köstereli stated that he did not accept the accusations against him and requested his release.