Up to 22.5 years in prison requested: Site inspection ordered in Chef Somer Sivrioğlu case
A former Jordanian diplomat lost his life and another person was seriously injured after a retaining wall collapsed at the luxury restaurant in Etiler owned by Somer Sivrioğlu, one of the famous chefs of MasterChef. In the case where Sivrioğlu faces up to 22.5 years in prison following the incident, the court has decided to conduct a site inspection at the scene.
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On May 20 of last year, the retaining wall of the luxury restaurant in Etiler, which had been taken over by MasterChef celebrity chef Somer Sivrioğlu, collapsed.
During the collapse, a former Jordanian diplomat, Ahmet Muhammed Salem Lubbad, who was passing by, was trapped under the wall and lost his life.
Baha Eddin Ali Hafez Shanableh was injured in the incident. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has completed the indictment regarding the event.
The indictment named Somer Sivrioğlu, Sakine Öçal, Gülay Kula, Sevinç Kula, Mehmet Levent Kula, Kazım Evirgen, and Kadri Berk Cemal as suspects. It was noted that despite being in a position to foresee that the collapse of the garden wall could lead to death or injury, the suspects continued to use the wall without obtaining the necessary permits or performing any maintenance, renovations, repairs, or reinforcement.
A prison sentence ranging from 2 years and 8 months to 22 years and 6 months was requested for each of the 7 individuals on charges of "causing death and injury by conscious negligence."
'IT IS A RETAINING WALL BELONGING TO THE ROAD'
The hearing held at the Istanbul High Criminal Court was attended by the lawyers of the parties and the defendant without detention, Kazım Evirgen. It was observed that the map belonging to the property had been received from LİHKAB.
The business operator Kazım Evirgen, who began his defense, stated that he had rented the restaurant in question from the property owner 45 years ago and later rented it as a restaurant business, saying, "The wall is not within the boundaries of the property I rented, which fell on the deceased and the injured. It is a retaining wall belonging to the road. The municipality is responsible for this wall."
'I DO NOT ACCEPT THE ACCUSATION'
Emphasizing that they did not have any work done that would cause the wall to collapse, Evirgen said, "I also visit the restaurant. I did not notice any crookedness or leaning in the wall. I do not accept the accusation. If citizens noticed the wall leaning and called the municipality, why were no precautions taken? The municipality is responsible for this incident," and requested his acquittal.
The court panel decided to conduct a new site inspection at the scene in accordance with the CD and documents received from LİHKAB, and to obtain a report from a map engineer and a civil engineer regarding whether the wall in question remains within the private property area, within the scope of the actual usage claim.
The court also decided to hear the testimony of the witness to the incident, Libyan Ambassador Abdurrazag Mukhtar Ahmed Abdulgader, and adjourned the hearing.