Verdict announced in Grand İsias case

A verdict has been reached for 11 defendants, 3 of whom are in custody, regarding the Grand İsias Hotel in Adıyaman, which collapsed during the February 6, 2023, earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, resulting in the loss of 72 lives. 

Hotel owner Ahmet Bozkurt was sentenced to 17 years and 17 months in prison, while his son Mehmet Fatih Bozkurt was sentenced to 18 years, 28 months, and 28 days in prison. Among the other defendants, Erdem Yıldız was sentenced to 17 years, 17 months, and 7 days; Hasan Aslan to 15 years; and Halil Bağcı and Mehmet Göncüoğlu to 7 years and 16 months in prison. Seda Zeren, Şule Özben, and Ulviye Bozkurt were acquitted. 

The hearing, held by the Adıyaman 3rd High Criminal Court in the multi-purpose conference hall on the ground floor of the courthouse, was attended by the detained defendants Ahmet Bozkurt, Mehmet Fatih Bozkurt, and Erdem Yıldız via the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS) from the prisons where they are being held.

Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Ünal Üstel, families of the athletes who lost their lives, and lawyers for the parties were also present at the hearing.

The court panel rejected the request by detained defendant Ahmet Bozkurt and a defense attorney to hear from an expert witness.

LAWYER REMOVED FROM THE COURTROOM

The court panel asked the plaintiff M.T. whether Deniz Can Akpek, who was present in the courtroom, was their lawyer.

M.T. stated that they had not had any meetings with Akpek and that he was not their lawyer.

The presiding judge stated that Akpek had presented a defense as if he were M.T.'s lawyer during the previous hearing, and therefore, it was decided to file a criminal complaint with the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding him, and ordered the lawyer to leave the courtroom.

The hearing continued after Akpek left the courtroom.

"IF THE EARTHQUAKE HAD NOT BEEN SO VIOLENT, MY HOTEL WOULD NOT HAVE COLLAPSED"

Detained defendant Ahmet Bozkurt stated that he had not been involved as a contractor in any project in Turkey or the TRNC, that he was the owner of the hotel, and that he had no connection to the owner of the largest casino in the TRNC.

The presiding judge warned the defendant to present his defense regarding the hotel where 72 people died, rather than other topics.

Denying allegations that he was concerned with the hotel's safe rather than those trapped under the rubble after the earthquake, Bozkurt claimed that the expert reports were prepared on demand and said the following:

"I am not the one who drew the project for the building; I am the landowner. I operate it, I do not deny that, but the accusations are that I am a contractor and that the documents are fake. Can the documents prepared by the state be fake? I am under the control of the ministries, under the control of the police. There can be no forgery here. Am I an enemy of my own property and my children? If the earthquake had not been so violent, my hotel would not have collapsed.

"If I were a blacksmith or a formwork worker, I would have done it myself, but I don't understand those things. I know the best materials were purchased. I do not accept any of the accusations; I also feel the pain of our 55 thousand lives in my heart. The primary reason is the violent earthquake and the result it produced. My children and I do not understand construction, but the fees were paid to ensure the best materials were purchased. We have no fault; I respect the decision made, but I am sure that the scales of justice will not falter. My family has no fault. If there is a mistake, if something was forged, it was outside of my knowledge. But I don't even think such a thing happened. If I had done something wrong, everyone would have seen it."

"THIS WAS ALSO A TEST FOR US"

Detained defendant Mehmet Fatih Bozkurt claimed that he had not the slightest error, fault, or wrongdoing in the collapse of the hotel and the loss of 72 lives, saying, "This was also a test for us. I am a green passport holder. If I were going to flee, I would have taken my family with me. I have not fled from any case. I do not accept the allegations against us in the report; I request my acquittal. The discretion lies with the court."

Detained defendant Erdem Yıldız claimed that he was an architect but was being held as a civil engineer, alleged that the documents in the file were fake, and requested his acquittal.

Non-detained defendant Halil Bağcı argued that he had no connection with the construction of this building, that he did not go to the construction site, and stated that the report he wrote was confirmed in the expert report in the file and that he was innocent.

Non-detained defendant Mehmet Göncüoğlu also argued that he did not carry out any project and requested his acquittal.

News Source: AA