Trial begins for 9 defendants in Ebrar Sitesi case where 96 people died

The trial of 9 defendants has begun regarding the deaths of 96 people and the injury of 8 others in the F Block of the Ebrar Sitesi, which collapsed during the earthquakes that occurred consecutively in the Elbistan and Pazarcık districts of Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023.

At the hearing held at the Kahramanmaraş 5th High Criminal Court, non-detained defendant Metin Kazancı, as well as plaintiffs and lawyers for the parties, were present in the courtroom.

Detained defendants Ahmet Doğan, Atilla Öz, and Çetin Kurt, as well as Tevfik Tepebaşı, who is detained in another case, participated in the hearing from their respective prisons via the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS).

Following the identification process and the reading of the indictment, defendant Tevfik Tepebaşı, who provided his defense, stated that he lost 20 relatives in the building in question during the earthquake. He claimed that the building was constructed by the cooperative in accordance with the conditions and laws of that period and that the land was purchased by the cooperative.

Stating that the cooperative was under strict supervision and that members purchased their apartments from the cooperative, Tepebaşı said, "They call me a contractor; I have nothing to do with contracting."

Tepebaşı argued that the cooperative management had hired an engineer as the technical supervisor and that the engineer had accepted the safety measures, making it impossible under the law to attribute a crime to him.

Stating that the area where the apartment building is located was opened for zoning in 1980, Tepebaşı said, "I have no signature or official responsibility anywhere; I was just sitting in the construction office. A teacher and a financial advisor certainly do not understand construction. They only manage this place."

Tepebaşı explained that when the foundation rebar of the construction was being tied, teams from the municipality arrived, and technical supervisors inspected each of the 11 floors separately.

"I AM TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT MY CRIME IS"

Arguing that he had no legal duty or intervention in the construction of the apartment building, Tepebaşı said, "Everyone is responsible for their own signature. The building has now collapsed, and is there a flaw in the construction?

This is what is being investigated, but I have no legal duty or intervention here.

Therefore, it is impossible for me to be held responsible. I am mentally very tired, I have a constant headache, and I am trying to understand what my crime is," he said.

"I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH CONSTRUCTION"

Defendant Çetin Kurt also denied the allegations against him, stating that he was Tepebaşı's accountant and that his only crime was being a member of the cooperative.

Saying, "I would give my life for Tevfik Tepebaşı," Kurt stated that he wanted to help Tepebaşı because they were close and that he only served as the cooperative president. "During the construction period of the buildings, water was coming out of the ground. Mr. Tevfik said, 'The municipality is inspecting it and the construction rebars are very solid.' It was after the Gölcük earthquake at that time," he said.

Kurt argued that he had nothing to do with the construction.

Defendant Atilla Öz also said that he had no connection to the building and did not even know who built it.

Defendant Ahmet Doğan also argued that he had no connection to the construction of the building.

"I WAITED 7 DAYS FOR MY FUNERALS"

Plaintiff Halil İbrahim Hasırcı, who lived in F Block as the apartment superintendent, stated that he lost his wife and daughter in the earthquake.

Stating that he did not know who built the building, Hasırcı said, "During the time I worked there, water was constantly coming out from under the elevator floor, and we were constantly pumping this water out with a motor. We are only now understanding why there was water.

I don't know who built the building, but Tevfik Tepebaşı's name was always mentioned. I got out of the rubble myself on the same day, but I waited 7 days to recover my dead. When the rebars were lifted, the concrete was just flowing away."

The court panel decided to continue the detention of the detained defendants and adjourned the hearing to May 3.

FROM THE INDICTMENT

The indictment prepared by the Kahramanmaraş Chief Public Prosecutor's Office states that 96 people died and 8 were injured as a result of the collapse of the Ebrar Sitesi F Block, located on 64005 Street in the Şazibey neighborhood of the central Onikişubat district, during the earthquake.

The indictment requests prison sentences ranging from 7 years to 22 years and 6 months for Ahmet Doğan, Çetin Kurt, Atilla Öz, Tevfik Tepebaşı (who is detained in another case), and non-detained defendants Metin Kazancı, Berra Elbistanlı, and Tamer Kurtaran, as well as fugitive defendants Mehmet Akif Özgüler and Mustafa Timurbanga, for the crime of "causing the death and injury of more than one person through conscious negligence."

News Source: AA