Hearing adjourned in Oğuz Murat Aci case: Court to await Timur Cihantimur’s extradition process

The second hearing was held for the trial concerning the 2024 traffic accident in Eyüpsultan, which resulted in the death of Oğuz Murat Aci and injuries to several others. The Gaziosmanpaşa 4th High Criminal Court decided to await the extradition process for Timur Cihantimur, who is currently in the US, and adjourned the hearing until December 2.

Cihantimur, who is under 18 and faces up to 12 years in prison for "causing the death of one person and the injury of multiple people through conscious negligence," did not attend the hearing as his extradition proceedings in the US are ongoing. Oğuz Murat Aci’s father Özer Aci, mother Pervin Aci, sister Ezgi Hilal Büyük, legal counsel for the parties, and relatives of the Aci family were present in the courtroom.

Witnesses injured in the accident were heard during the hearing. Witness Hasan Topal explained that they had set out on the night of the accident with 5 people on 3 ATVs, and were moving to return to their neighborhood after refueling at a gas station near the Kemerburgaz junction. Topal stated that they pulled over when Süleyman Keçici’s ATV broke down, and that they turned on the lights of Oğuz Murat Aci’s ATV so that oncoming traffic would notice them.

I turned my head while we were jump-starting the vehicle, I saw white headlights and then heard a skidding sound. After that, with the impact, I experienced something like memory loss, which lasted for 10-15 days.

Witness Süleyman Keçici also stated that the wooded area was dark and that the light of Aci’s ATV was pointed toward the wide direction of the road. Keçici explained that some vehicles had slowed down after seeing the light before the accident, and one vehicle had even paused to offer help. Keçici said that he then saw the headlights of a vehicle at the curve and the collision occurred shortly thereafter.

EXTRADITION PROCESS TO BE INQUIRED VIA THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE

Following the witness testimonies, the presiding judge announced that a new report had been added to the file regarding the causal link between the death of Oğuz Murat Aci and the traffic accident. After receiving the parties' statements regarding the report, the public prosecutor requested that the extradition process for Cihantimur be awaited.

During the hearing, the defendant's lawyers stated that they stood with the Aci family and wished to reach a settlement by covering any damages they could. Relatives of the family reacted to these remarks. The court ruled for the continuation of the arrest warrant issued for Cihantimur; it decided to await the completion of the extradition process and to inquire about the status through the Ministry of Justice.

Speaking in front of the courthouse after the hearing, father Özer Aci said they would continue their search for justice. Stating, "We do not accept financial support," Aci emphasized that justice cannot be bought with money. Mother Pervin Aci demanded that those responsible be tried with the harshest penalties.

The indictment states that Süleyman Keçici, İbrahim Gümüş, Hasan Topal, and Tahsin Arslan were injured in the accident involving the vehicle driven by Cihantimur, and that Oğuz Murat Aci lost his life. The indictment, which notes that the sentence cannot exceed 12 years due to Cihantimur’s age, requests a prison sentence ranging from 1 year and 9 months to 12 years.

During the investigation process, it was determined that Cihantimur had fled to Egypt and then to the US with his mother, Eylem Tok; red notices were issued for them. A court in the US had previously ruled for the extradition of Tok and Cihantimur, who were captured in Boston, to Turkey, and it was reported that the extradition procedures were ongoing.

News Source: 12punto