The hearing at the Kahramanmaraş 5th High Criminal Court was attended by detained defendant Çetin Kurt, as well as Tevfik Tepebaşı and Atilla Öz, who are detained in connection with other cases, via the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS) from their respective prisons. Non-detained defendant Metin K. and the lawyers for the parties were also present in the courtroom. Fugitive defendant Mustafa Timurbanga and non-detained defendants Ahmet D., Tamer K., and Berra E. did not attend the hearing.
Testifying as a witness, Abdulkerim K., a resident of Block F, claimed that he had purchased his apartment from Tevfik Tepebaşı, Mustafa Timurbanga, and Ahmet D.
Detained defendant Çetin Kurt claimed he was innocent and that the building was constructed by Mustafa Timurbanga. Atilla Öz requested to be exempted from attending future hearings. The other defendants reiterated their previous statements and requested their release.
The court panel decided to continue the detention of the defendants and adjourned the hearing to January 10, 2025.
In the indictment prepared by the Kahramanmaraş Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the defendants face up to 22 years and 6 months in prison each for the charge of "causing the death and injury of more than one person through conscious negligence."
News Source: 12punto
