Incident at the second hearing of the Newborn Gang trial! Fırat Sarı's lawyer resisted the police

The second hearing of the trial involving 47 defendants, 26 of whom are in custody, who are accused of referring emergency newborn patients to private hospitals they had pre-arranged agreements with, causing their deaths and gaining illicit profits, is ongoing in Istanbul.

The second session of the trial, which began yesterday at the Bakırköy 22nd High Criminal Court in the courthouse conference hall, was attended by 26 detained defendants, including the doctor Fırat Sarı, who is alleged to be the ringleader of the organized crime group, as well as some defendants not in custody, plaintiffs, and lawyers.

Intensive security measures were taken by police teams in the courtroom, which was followed by numerous members of the press.

During the hearing, the lawyer for the detained defendant Fırat Sarı requested an adjournment of the trial, stating that he had not been able to examine the case file.

A dispute arose when the presiding judge stated that this request would be evaluated in the interim decision.

The defendant's lawyer was removed from the courtroom by law enforcement officers on the grounds that he was disrupting the order of the court.

The hearing continues with the taking of statements from the defense lawyers.

TENSION IN THE COURTROOM

According to reports by Melike Şahin from NTV, the lawyer for the detained defendant Fırat Sarı requested an adjournment of the trial during the hearing, stating that he had not been able to examine the case file.

A dispute arose when the presiding judge stated that this request would be evaluated in the interim decision.

The defendant's lawyer was removed from the courtroom by law enforcement officers on the grounds that he was disrupting the order of the court.

The hearing continues with the taking of statements from the defense lawyers.

Meanwhile, it was learned that the request by the defense lawyers yesterday to have the trial prosecutor removed from the case was rejected by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

BACKGROUND OF THE CASE

In the 1,399-page indictment prepared by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it is stated that the criminal organization led by the defendant doctor Fırat Sarı was managed and directed by the defendant doctor İlker Gönen and 112 Emergency Call Center ambulance driver Gıyasettin Mert Özdemir.

The indictment notes that the main purpose of the criminal organization was to bypass the 112 referral system for the newborn intensive care units they had taken over, ensure their occupancy, manipulate the severity levels of the patients, and receive maximum payments from the Social Security Institution (SGK).

The indictment states that the defendants portrayed the condition of the baby patients as more severe than it actually was and ensured they were hospitalized for longer than necessary, thereby collecting high fees from the SGK and charging some patients' families excessive amounts of money.

It is reported in the indictment that instead of referring baby patients to hospitals where they would receive appropriate healthcare, they were hospitalized in hospitals chosen by the suspects that were seen as profitable for the organization, and that most of the profit was shared with the organization members who were healthcare workers.

The indictment includes the claim that the primary goal was to obtain the maximum financial gain rather than improving the health status of the babies.

WHAT ARE THE REQUESTED SENTENCES?

In the indictment, for the defendants Fırat Sarı and İlker Gönen, prison sentences ranging from 177 years and 6 months to 582 years and 9 months are requested for each, based on charges of "causing death by negligent conduct" for the deaths of 10 babies, "qualified fraud," "establishing an organization for the purpose of committing a crime," and "forgery of official documents" to be applied 11 times.

For the defendant Gıyasettin Mert Özdemir, a prison sentence ranging from 180 years to 589 years and 9 months is requested for the crimes of "causing death by negligent conduct," "unlawful acquisition of personal data," "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations," "establishing an organization for the purpose of committing a crime," and "forgery of official documents." Prison sentences for similar crimes are also foreseen for 44 other defendants, 8 of whom are women.

The indictment also requests that security measures specific to legal entities be applied to the responsible hospitals and companies that obtained financial benefits by committing the crime of "fraud," and that these be closed down and their assets confiscated.

Within the scope of the investigation, the licenses of 9 hospitals in Istanbul and 1 in Tekirdağ Çorlu were revoked, and the babies and patients receiving treatment in these hospitals were transferred to public hospitals by ambulance.

On the other hand, those who threatened the life of Büyükçekmece Public Prosecutor Yavuz Engin, who is conducting the investigation into the newborn gang, in his office were also arrested.

4 DEFENDANTS NOT IN CUSTODY WERE ARRESTED

In line with the court panel's decision at the first hearing, Mehmet Gürül, one of the doctors at TRG Hospitalist Hospital, Murat Mantuş, the Administrative Manager of TRG Hospitalist Hospital, doctor Şeyhmus Çelik, and doctor Ali Dirik, the responsible manager of Esenler Güney Hospital, who were being tried without arrest, were arrested.

Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the owner of Birinci International Hospital, Ali Aksu, nurse Serenay Şenkalaycı, and nurse Ceren Hatice Kırım, who were requested to be arrested but are currently fugitives.

News Source: AA