Third day of the Newborn Gang trial: Defendants present their defense

The third day of the third hearing has begun in the trial opened on allegations that newborns in Istanbul were directed to neonatal units of specific private hospitals to generate illicit profits, resulting in deaths due to faulty medical interventions.

The trial, held in the conference hall of the Bakırköy Courthouse due to the insufficient capacity of the 22nd High Criminal Court, was attended by 25 detained defendants, including Fırat Sarı, who is alleged to be the leader of the criminal organization, as well as some defendants not in custody, plaintiffs, and lawyers.

DEFENDANTS CONTINUE TO PRESENT THEIR DEFENSE

The hearing, which began at 10:40 AM with a roll call of the defendants, continues with defense attorneys presenting their clients' cases. In previous hearings of the case, it was announced that the detained defendant, Dr. İlker Gönen, had ended his own life in prison.

On the other hand, it was stated that some of the doctors being tried in the case had been banned from the profession for 3 years. Defendant Mehmet Gürül, in his statement to the court, challenged the accusations by saying, "These men are naive, polite people. How could these men be leaders of a criminal organization?"

While new evidence is expected to emerge in the upcoming hearings of the case, the court is expected to move to the decision-making process once the defendants' defenses are completed.

WHAT HAPPENED?

In the 1,399-page indictment prepared by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it is stated that the criminal organization, led by defendant Dr. Fırat Sarı, was managed and directed by defendant Dr. 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 neonatal intensive care units they had taken over to ensure full 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 infant 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.

The indictment reports that instead of being referred to hospitals that would provide appropriate healthcare, infant patients were hospitalized in facilities chosen by the suspects that appeared profitable for the organization, and that most of the profit was shared with the defendants who were members of the organization and healthcare workers.

The indictment alleges that the primary goal was to obtain the maximum financial gain rather than improving the health status of the infants.

PRISON SENTENCES REQUESTED

In the indictment, for 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, to be applied 10 times for the death of 10 infants due to "causing death by negligent conduct," as well as for "qualified fraud," "establishing an organization for the purpose of committing crimes," and 11 times for "forgery of official documents."

For 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 crimes," and "forgery of official documents." Similar prison sentences 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 entities 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 infants 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.

News Source: 12punto