Defendants appear in court in Ebrar Site case

The hearing at the Kahramanmaraş 3rd High Criminal Court was attended by non-detained defendants Nebi Koska and Lütfü Timurbanga, as well as plaintiffs and legal counsel for both sides.

Detained defendants Ahmet Doğan, Atilla Öz, and Ferhat Bülent Özer, along with Tevfik Tepebaşı, who is detained in connection with another case, participated in the hearing via the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS) from their respective prisons. Fugitive defendant Mehmet Timurbanga did not attend the hearing.

In his defense, detained defendant Ferhat Bülent Özer stated that the structural static project author of Block L, which collapsed in the February 6 earthquakes, was the late M.G., and that he had been a schoolmate of his.

Stating that he did not know the other defendants and only knew M.G., Özer noted that he lost many relatives in the earthquake and argued that the expert report was incorrect.

"I DID NOT GO TO INSPECT OR SUPERVISE THE BUILDING"

Describing the earthquake as extremely violent, Özer made the following claim:

"I trusted him and gave him the 120-day Technical Implementation Responsibility (TUS). In my first interrogation, they showed me a photo of the license on a phone, and when I looked at it, the signature initially looked like mine. But later, when I looked at the photocopy of the license my lawyer brought me, I saw that the signature did not belong to me and that the license had been tampered with. Furthermore, I had not renewed my office registration certificate in 2004. I have no responsibility for the collapse of the building. I do not know anyone other than M.G. I did not go to inspect or supervise the building. I don't even know where the building is located."

Detained defendant Ahmet Doğan stated that he lost relatives in the February 6 earthquakes, adding that he is a teacher and does not understand construction.

"WE ONLY PROVIDED FINANCIAL SUPPORT"

Stating that he did not accept the accusations against him, Doğan said in his defense:

"I was a member of the cooperative while the building was being constructed, and later I became president through an election. There was no contractor within the cooperative. The cooperative general assembly is the highest authority. M.G. acted as the contractor here. When we bought this land on behalf of the cooperative, we handed it over to M.G.; since we did not understand the work, we handed it over to M.G. as a package. We only made the payments to him, and he followed the construction closely. We only provided financial support, and we gave him the responsibility during the construction phase."

Defendant Tevfik Tepebaşı also stated that some of the apartment buildings in the Ebrar Site were built by contractors, while others were built by cooperatives.

Stating that 6 buildings were built by cooperatives and that these were constructed by different cooperatives, Tepebaşı noted that cooperative managers cannot exercise authority alone.

Expressing that he was listed as a contractor and manager in every cooperative, Tepebaşı noted that he was the President of the Başak Construction Cooperative and that it was not right for the responsibilities of other cooperatives to be placed on him.

"I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY I AM HERE"

Arguing that he is not a contractor, Tepebaşı continued as follows:

"I do not understand construction. I do not know how many tons of cement or iron should be used. I have had no involvement in material procurement or the formation of this cooperative's management. The building is registered and licensed under the Zirve Housing Construction Cooperative. The building was inspected by 5 engineers and 1 architect. The building was granted a license in 2004. It is not right to tell people who do not understand construction that they are responsible for the building. My relatives lost their lives in the collapsed building. There is a technical supervisor at the head of the building's construction. I was not involved in the construction of the building. I do not understand why I am here. Defendant Ferhat Bülent Özer is the construction supervisor, the technical supervisor, meaning he is responsible for taking all kinds of safety measures for the construction and following it from beginning to end. He signed it, and he is responsible for the signature he provided."

Non-detained defendant Nebi Koska argued that he only performed plastering work on the construction.

Claiming that he had no connection with the building construction works in the cooperative, Koska said, "Fugitive defendant Mustafa Timurbanga was in charge of the construction works of Block L. I only did the plastering work for the building. In return, I was receiving my labor fees from Mustafa Timurbanga. I know that the other defendants were responsible for the cooperative."

HEARING ADJOURNED TO APRIL 3

Non-detained defendant Lütfü Timurbanga stated that he became a member of the cooperative to own a home.

Arguing that he paid his dues to the cooperative regularly but that they made him a member of the management without his knowledge, Timurbanga said he did not know the technical supervisor or anyone else.

Timurbanga stated that he had no knowledge of the construction of Block L and that he sold the apartment he bought from the building near the end of the construction. All plaintiffs attending the hearing stated that they were complainants against the defendants and demanded their punishment. The court panel decided to arrest Tevfik Tepebaşı within the scope of the file and to continue the detention of the other detained defendants, adjourning the hearing to April 3 to address the deficiencies.

News Source: 12punto