Testimony of Gazelle Hotel's arrested general manager emerges: 'The ministry has accredited firms'

In the hotel fire disaster in Bolu that caused the deaths of 78 people, 26 individuals had been detained. While 19 people were arrested, 7 were released, 6 of them under judicial control conditions.

Regarding the case, 13 people were detained at the Gazelle Resort Hotel, owned by business owner Halit Ergül. While the Gazelle Hotel, where the same negligence was found, decided to close the hotel temporarily, the testimony of the arrested General Manager of the Gazelle Hotel, Ahmet Demir, has emerged.

In his testimony, stating that he spoke by phone with Bolu Deputy Mayor Sedat Gülener regarding the acceleration of the paperwork process at the Grand Kartal Hotel, Gazelle Resort Hotel General Manager Ahmet Demir said, "Towards the end of December 2024, the accounting manager Kadir Özdemir told me that according to municipal documents, there was a general deficiency at the Grand Kartal Hotel and that they had made a new application, saying, 'Can we speed up the application process?' I conveyed this issue to Sedat Gülener over the phone. I am not familiar with the content of the matter on the phone. 

However, I said, 'Can we speed up the paperwork process?' Sedat Gülener did not tell me anything regarding the initial inspection of the Grand Kartal Hotel.

He did not make any remarks regarding whether there was a deficiency at the hotel. He told me regarding the second application, 'Let's look into the matter, I will help.' I have spoken with Sedat Gülener on the phone about this issue either once or twice. I don't remember more than that. I had made the call for the second application. 

Kadir Özdemir told me that the process resulted positively. A fire drill was not conducted at the Gazelle Hotel in 2025. I remember it being done in 2023 or 2024.

As a result of the drill, a record is created in the OHS (Occupational Health and Safety) logbook. I know that the Gazelle Hotel does not have a fire compliance report. The Ministry of Tourism has accredited firms. They have been conducting these inspections every year since 2023. I don't remember their names. However, they are in the records. I can retrieve both of them from the records. I know that both the Grand Kartal Hotel and the Gazelle Hotel are inspected by the companies from which services are received," he stated.

News Source: İHA