Defendants in Ebrar Site case appear in court

The Kahramanmaraş 4th High Criminal Court hearing was attended via the Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS) by Atilla Öz and Tevfik Tepebaşı, who are defendants in this case but are currently detained in other cases. Other non-detained defendants Ahmet D., Murat İ., and İsmet K., as well as plaintiffs and lawyers for the parties, were present in the courtroom. Defendants Mehmet Akif Ö. and Mustafa T. did not attend the hearing.

Defendant Tepebaşı claimed that the static technical supervisor and static project author of Ebrar Site E Block was Mehmet Akif Özgüler, who passed away on March 25, and that the static technical supervisor listed on the renovation permit was Murat G.

Atilla Öz also denied the charges against him, arguing that the Ebrar sites were built within the scope of a cooperative, that the manager of the cooperative was Mustafa T., that he was only a member of the cooperative, and that he had no authority regarding construction or supervision within the scope of the cooperative.

Tepebaşı's son-in-law, Ahmet D., argued that he had started working as a teacher in Kahramanmaraş, did not attend meetings organized by the cooperatives, had no connection to Ebrar Site E Block, that the sites were built by the cooperative, and that he did not know the contractor.

The other defendants also claimed they were innocent.

The plaintiffs stated that they were filing complaints against those responsible.

In its interim decision, the court panel decided to refer the file to a new expert committee and to continue the current status of the defendants.

The hearing was adjourned to February 6, 2025.

In the indictment prepared by the Kahramanmaraş Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it is requested that the 7 defendants be sentenced to up to 22 years and 6 months in prison each for the crime of "causing the death and injury of more than one person with conscious negligence" regarding the collapse of Ebrar Site E Block, where 84 people died and 6 were injured in Kahramanmaraş, the epicenter of the February 6, 2023, earthquakes.

News Source: AA