Salmonella scandal: Up to 20 years in prison sought for fatal baked potato poisoning

The İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has prepared an indictment against the detained defendant N.D. regarding the death of Servet Polat, who experienced health problems after eating a baked potato at a business in Buca with her family and passed away within 2 days.

DIED AS A RESULT OF FOOD POISONING

In the indictment, it was stated that according to the report of the 1st Specialization Board of the Council of Forensic Medicine of the Ministry of Justice, the manner of death was determined to be the result of "food poisoning" based on macroscopic and histopathological examinations of Polat's internal organs.

SALMONELLA DETECTED

The indictment also noted that the examination and analysis report of the İzmir Food Control Laboratory Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry confirmed the presence of salmonella bacteria in the baked potato sample, recording that the baked potato offered for sale at the workplace carried salmonella bacteria and therefore posed a danger to human health.

For business owner N.D., a prison sentence of up to 15 years was requested for the crime of "causing death by negligence" due to the death of Servet Polat and the poisoning of other complainants, and up to 5 years for the crime of "trading in spoiled or altered food."

The indictment has been submitted to the İzmir High Criminal Court.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Bahar Zeyrek, who lives in Buca, her mother Servet Polat, and her 11-year-old son Gökhan Zeyrek ate baked potatoes at a business located in the Efeler neighborhood on December 28, 2024. The family went to Buca Seyfi Demirsoy Training and Research Hospital the same day with complaints of vomiting and diarrhea, and returned home after receiving treatment.

When their symptoms persisted the following day, the mother, daughter, and grandson applied to the hospital again and were discharged after receiving treatment in the emergency department.

Servet Polat, who was found dead in the bathroom of her home 2 days after the incident, had her family file a complaint against the business, and the business owner N.D., who was taken into custody, was arrested for the crime of "causing death by negligence."