It became a grave for 83 people... Request to arrest AKP contractor rejected

In the February 6 earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, 83 people lost their lives and 1 person was injured as a result of the collapse of the Üzümkent Complex in the Besni district of Adıyaman.

As part of the investigation conducted by the Besni Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the incident, a lawsuit was filed against contractor Şükrü İşitmen, who was a member of the AKP Besni District Board of Directors at the time, along with other contractors Mehmet Nuri Tuğsuz, Ahmet İşitmen, and officials of the S.S. Üzümkent Housing Construction Cooperative, Abdullah Çetin, Battal Oral, Cuma Ali Türk, Hüseyin Güner, Mahmut Keremoğlu, and Memet Subaşı, with a demand for up to 15 years in prison for each on charges of "causing death and injury by negligence."

DEFENDANTS DID NOT ATTEND THE THIRD HEARING

The third hearing of the case was held with the participation of complainants, lawyers for the parties, and witnesses. First, the witnesses were heard in the hearing. The witnesses stated that the actual contractor of the building was Şükrü İşitmen. The complainants stated that they were filing complaints against all defendants.

ARREST OF DEFENDANT ŞÜKRÜ İŞİTMEN REQUESTED

Elif Nur Öztürkeri, one of the lawyers for the complainants, reminded that an arrest warrant had been issued for defendant Şükrü İşitmen in another case, the Yukarı Şehir Cooperative Houses case, which also collapsed in the earthquake, and said, "The defendant did not comply with this decision. We believe that the judicial control measures given in this file are also insufficient. We request the arrest of Şükrü İşitmen."

Complainant lawyer Cennet Figen Kalaağası stated that many buildings constructed by Şükrü İşitmen had collapsed and that the defendant was still a fugitive, adding, "He has not fulfilled the provisions of judicial control. For this reason, we request an arrest warrant to be issued."

Another lawyer for the complainants, Abdurrahman Özdoğan, requested that the return of the file from the expert be awaited and its status be inquired, stating, "Defendant Şükrü İşitmen has not complied with the judicial control provisions since October 2024. We request his arrest because he has not fulfilled his obligations without a valid excuse."

"WE DO NOT ACCEPT THE ADVERSE MATTERS IN WITNESS STATEMENTS"

The lawyer for defendant Mehmet Nuri Tuğsuz argued that his client was not involved in the construction in any way, saying, "My client is still subject to judicial control measures. However, as he recently had a heart attack, he is having difficulty fulfilling the obligation to sign in three days a week. While we find the continuation of the travel ban appropriate, we request the removal of the signature obligation."

The lawyers for defendant Şükrü İşitmen stated, "We do not accept the adverse matters in the witness statements. Since the defendant is already under arrest in another case at the Adıyaman 1st High Criminal Court, he cannot fulfill his judicial control obligations in this file. For this reason, we want the arrest requests to be rejected. We will present our detailed defense after the expert report is returned."

The prosecution, in its opinion, requested that the arrest requests of the complainant attorneys be rejected separately on the grounds that there is already an arrest warrant for defendant Şükrü İşitmen.

HEARING ADJOURNED TO JULY 14

The court panel rejected the arrest requests for Şükrü İşitmen on the grounds that there is already an arrest warrant for this defendant. The panel decided to await the execution of the arrest warrant issued for the defendant's son, Ahmet İşitmen, and to inquire about its status. It was ruled that the file had been submitted to an expert to determine the fault status of the defendants and that the status of the report should be inquired. In addition, it was decided to continue the judicial control measure of "travel ban" applied to defendants Şükrü İşitmen and Mehmet Nuri Tuğsuz.

The next hearing will be held on July 14.

News Source: 12punto