The case regarding the fire disaster at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu on January 21, in which 78 people, 36 of whom were children, lost their lives and 133 people were injured, was heard at the Bolu 1st High Criminal Court on July 7.

In the first four days, 29 of the 32 defendants gave their defense.

PRESIDENT OF THE COURT: I WILL ARREST THOSE WHO DISTURB ORDER

The Grand Kartal Hotel fire hearing continued with the cross-examination of hotel owner Halit Ergül. Before the cross-examination, the presiding judge warned the audience about the brawl that occurred in the courtroom last night and urged them to prevent it from happening again. He said, "I will impose disciplinary detention on those who disrupt the court's order. I will arrest those who speak without being given the floor or disrupt the order. Anyone who speaks without permission from the lawyers will be expelled."

'WE FELT SAFE'

Under questioning, Halit Ergül stated that the hotel was regularly inspected, saying, "I've been in the tourism industry for many years. We own two hotels. I was a board member of the Tourism Development Agency. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism teams who came for the inspection kept a report. Because the inspection team said it was 'appropriate,' we felt safe. If they had identified deficiencies in the inspection that would have protected life and property, they would have closed it. I don't know whether the Ministry of Culture and Tourism inspectors were invoiced for their stays at the Gazelle Hotel. If we don't get paid, will they ignore our shortcomings?"

'THOSE WHO DON'T INSPECT ARE RESPONSIBLE'

When the victim's lawyer said, "We couldn't find a single penny in the bank accounts after the fire," Ergül replied, "The hotel was closed, and there were personnel severance packages." When the lawyer asked, "A fire broke out in your hotel, too. Are you going to file a complaint against any of them?" Ergül replied, "Those who didn't conduct inspections are responsible."

VICTIM'S RELATIVE SHOUTED 'MURDERER'

After one of the victims' lawyers asked, "Were there any unauthorized construction on the 11th and 12th floors of the hotel?" Ergül replied that the elevators on that floor were licensed, prompting the lawyer to ask for a clear answer. Ergül interrupted the lawyer and spoke loudly, creating tension in the courtroom. Relatives of the victims shouted "Murderer!" from the back rows at Ergül, who had raised his voice.

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STATEMENT FROM THE GRIEVING FAMILIES

The fifth day of the hearing began at 9:00 a.m. this morning. Before the hearing, the victims' relatives made a statement to reporters. Speaking on behalf of the families, Zeynep Kotan, a member of the We Have No Other Life Platform, stated that they were being provoked by the defendants, saying, "Enough is enough. As families who have longed for their loved ones for 170 days, we are saying 'enough.' For four days, we have been subjected to the organized defense of the very evil that was inflicted upon us on January 21st. For four days, all we have heard from the defendants' interrogations is, 'I don't know, I don't remember, I didn't see it, I'm not responsible, and it's on paper.' And that's not all. We are being provoked by the defendants' attorneys and their relatives."

'IT IS BEING SYSTEMATICALLY INTERVENED'

Kotan, pointing out that the defenses were being interfered with, said, "They look us in the eye and say they're a family that wouldn't even hurt an ant. Yesterday, the head of the panel had to warn a defendant's attorney, 'Don't provoke the complainants.' It's not just the complainants who are being subjected to this provocation. The defendants' attorneys are systematically interfering with our attorneys' questions."

'HE IS TRYING EVERY WAY TO PROVOKE ME'

Kotan stated that the complainants were being pressured, saying, "The words and suffering of a father and a lawyer who lost eight lives are being disregarded and dismissed. A defendant's relative has the audacity to insult the complainants. Furthermore, he is attempting to physically intervene with law enforcement officers responsible for ensuring security. The same defendant's relative has been trying every possible way to provoke us since day one. Despite repeatedly stating during the hearing that our only demand is for our pain to be respected, this is what we are being subjected to. Our only demand is that all those responsible be held accountable and punished through a fair and transparent trial."

"WE TRUST THE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT"

Kotan stated their confidence in the court, saying, "Let this ruling set such a precedent that everyone knows the responsibility of their signature. This precedent-setting ruling is important not only for us families, but for the safe future of all of Türkiye. We are here. We stand tall despite these heartless acts. We will continue this struggle until the end in memory of our loved ones. We trust in the justice of the Supreme Court." Following the press statement, the defendants, the victims' relatives, and the citizens attending the hearing began to be admitted to the courtroom. Those who passed through the police checkpoint were admitted. The fifth day of the hearing will continue with Halit Ergül's cross-examination.

The first hearing began on July 7.

For the case, the gymnasium within Bolu Social Sciences High School was converted into a 700-seat courtroom. The courtroom was equipped with the latest technology, from camera systems to infrastructure. Intense security measures were taken before the hearing, and the first hearing of the eagerly awaited case in Türkiye began on July 7th. On the first day of the hearing, defenses were given by Ahmet Demir, the Gazelle Hotel Resort Manager; Aleyna B., an employee of FQC Global Certification Inc., a conformity assessment company; Ali A., an official of the same company; Bayram Ü., a technical personnel; Tahsin Pekcan, who is in custody; Hüseyin Özer, who is in custody; Sırrı Köstereli, the Secretary General of the Bolu Provincial Autonomous Administration; Bünyamin Bal, the Deputy Secretary General; and Yeliz Erdoğan, the Provincial Special Administration Licensing Manager.

The hotel's general manager made a defense on the second day.

On the second day of the hearing, July 8, the defenses of the defendants Mehmet Özel, the Seben District Special Administration Manager in custody; Cemal Özer, the Grand Kartal Hotel accounting employee; Kadir Özdemir, the Gazelle Hotel Accounting Manager; Doğan A., the undetained defendant who checked and maintained the hotel's gas system; Muharrem Şen, the gas installation technical service manager; Ece Kayacan, the Occupational Health and Safety Specialist in custody; Kübra D., the undetained Occupational Health and Safety Specialist; and Emir Aras, the General Manager of Grand Kartal A.Ş., in custody were heard.

Hotel owner filed defense on the fourth day

On the third day of the hearing, July 9th, the following defendants, Mehmet S., who is not in custody and works as an accountant at the hotel; Zeki Yılmaz, the hotel manager; Ceyda Hacıbekiroğlu and Elif Aras, who are members of the hotel's board of directors and the daughters of the hotel owner Halit Ergül; Emine Murtezaoğlu Ergül, who is in custody and Halit Ergül's wife; Enver Ö., who is not in custody and is the hotel cook; and Faysal Yaver, who is in custody and is the hotel's assistant cook, made their defense statements.

Yesterday, the defense statements were taken from the hotel's head chef, Reşat B., who is not in custody; the hotel's receptionist, Yiğithan Burak Ç., who is not in custody; the owner of the hotel's cafe, İbrahim P., who is not in custody; the manager of the hotel's cafe, İsmail K., who is not in custody; and the hotel's owner, Halit Ergül. The cross-examination of Halit Ergül then began. During the cross-examination, an argument and a scuffle broke out first between the lawyers and then between the defendant and the complainant's relatives. The hearing adjourned at 10:00 PM yesterday.

FROM THE INDICTMENT

The indictment states that hotel owners, company board members and managers Halit Ergül, Emine Mürtezaoğlu Ergül, Ceyda Hacıbekiroğlu, Elif Aras, Emir Aras, Zeki Yılmaz, Ahmet Demir, Kadir Özdemir, Cemal Özer, Mehmet Salun, Bolu Municipality Deputy Mayor Sedat Gülener, Acting Fire Chief Kenan Coşkun, and firefighter İrfan Acar are "responsible for the incident with possible intent."

The indictment demands that these 13 people be sentenced to a total of up to 1,998 years in prison each for 78 counts of "murder with possible intent" and "intentional wounding with possible intent."

The indictment also seeks prison sentences of up to 22 years and 6 months each for the hotel’s technical staff Tahsin Pekcan, Hüseyin Özer, and Bayram Ütkü; kitchen staff Reşat Bölük, Enver Öztürk, and Faysal Yaver; occupational safety experts Kübra Demir and Ece Kayacan; receptionist Yiğithan Burak Çetin; Mudurnu Energy Industry and Trade Inc. officials İbrahim Polat and İsmail Karagöz; FQC Global Certification Inc. official Ali Ağaoğlu and his employee Aleyna Beşinci; LPG installation maintenance workers Doğan Aydın and Muharrem Şen; Bolu Special Provincial Administration Secretary General Sırrı Köstereli; Provincial Special Administration Deputy Secretary General Bünyamin Bal; Provincial Special Administration Licensing and Inspection Manager Yeliz Erdoğan; and former Provincial Special Administration Licensing and Inspection Manager Mehmet Özel for “causing the death and injury of more than one person through conscious negligence.”

Source: Agencies-DHA-ANKA-AA