Fugitive contractor in Palmiye Sitesi case requests revocation of arrest warrant

Hacı Mehmet Ersoy, the contractor of the Palmiye Sitesi that collapsed in Kahramanmaraş, has submitted a petition to the court requesting the revocation of the arrest warrant issued against him due to his fugitive status.

In the case heard at the Kahramanmaraş 3rd High Criminal Court regarding the collapse of the Palmiye Sitesi in the Şehit Abdullah Çavuş neighborhood during the first earthquake on February 6, which resulted in the deaths of 150 people and injuries to 16 others, contractor Hacı Mehmet Ersoy was arrested during the second hearing held on December 26, 2024.

RELEASED WITH A MEDICAL REPORT FROM THE HOSPITAL

After remaining in custody for 21 days, Ersoy was released on January 17 due to a report of "senility" issued by the Necip Fazıl City Hospital.

Relatives of those who lost their lives at the site appealed the decision.

NEW ARREST WARRANT ISSUED

The Kahramanmaraş 4th High Criminal Court reviewed the medical report and the SEGBİS footage of the trial in which Hacı Mehmet Ersoy is a defendant. On January 29, the court issued an arrest warrant for Ersoy on the grounds that no deficiency in time and place orientation was observed during his statements and that the report had not been approved by the Council of Forensic Medicine.

A FUGITIVE SINCE THAT DAY

Following the decision, law enforcement officers went to Hacı Mehmet Ersoy's residence but could not find him.

Ersoy, who has not been apprehended in the time that has passed since, submitted a petition yesterday through his lawyer to the Kahramanmaraş 3rd High Criminal Court, where he is being tried, requesting the revocation of the arrest warrant against him.

In his petition, Ersoy argued that there was no need for the medical board reports to be approved by the Council of Forensic Medicine.

THREE DEFENDANTS ON TRIAL

In the case regarding the Palmiye Sitesi, where 150 people lost their lives, detained contractor Ali Babaoğlu, fugitive contractor Hacı Mehmet Ersoy, and non-detained geological engineer Ömer Tarakçıoğlu are being tried on charges of causing the death and injury of multiple people through conscious negligence, facing up to 22 years and 6 months in prison each.

The fourth hearing of the case will be held on June 12 at the Kahramanmaraş 3rd High Criminal Court. 

News Source: 12punto