11.07.2025 00:01
In the trial regarding the Kartalkaya hotel disaster, the courtroom became chaotic. The lawyer of hotel owner Halit Ergül prevented lawyer Yüksel Gültekin, who lost eight relatives in the fire, from asking questions, which led to a scuffle. When police officers entered the room to end the fight, Ergül's son-in-law attempted to punch them. While Ergül's son-in-law was forcibly removed from the courtroom, the hearing was postponed until the morning.
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In the trial related to the Grand Kartal Hotel fire in Kartalkaya, where 78 people lost their lives, the cross-examination of hotel owner Halit Ergül began before a break was given after his defense.
HOTEL OWNER: I WISH THEY HAD SEALED US TOO, SO THIS INCIDENT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED
During the cross-examination, Ergül stated: "Even in the last inspection, we were not told anything about the spring system. Since the inspections came out normal, I don't know. After us, 1,500 hotels were sealed. I wish they had sealed us for 15 days so this incident would not have happened. We were passing the inspections at the hotel. There is a 12th floor in the Tourism Operation Certificate. I don't know if it is seen in the building occupancy permit. We received a minor penalty from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism due to a customer complaint before. Other than that, we did not receive any penalties. I hold the upper management authority at the hotel and I have not transferred it to anyone. I did not host the officials from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism who came for inspection for free at the hotel. I did not give instructions to my staff to turn off the detectors because people were smoking in the rooms. I did not give instructions to pull the cars out of the garage during the fire," he said.
"I HAVEN'T SLEPT FOR 2.5 MONTHS"
In response to the victim's lawyer's question, "Do you have any fault regarding the fire? Do you feel any remorse?" Ergül replied, "I do not want to answer." The victim's lawyer reiterated, "Are you sorry? The families here expect you to at least say you are sad," to which Ergül responded, "I haven't slept for 2.5 months. Doesn't a human feel sad about this? I have no peace."
CHAOS ERUPTED IN THE COURTROOM
Afterward, while lawyer Yüksel Gültekin, who lost 8 relatives in the fire, was asking a question to the defendant, Halit Ergül's lawyer stated that the questions asked were not relevant to the case. Yüksel Gültekin replied to the lawyer, "Am I going to ask you my questions? You are intervening. I lost 8 lives," he said. A verbal argument began between the two lawyers. While the lawyers were arguing, a dispute broke out between Bekir Hacıbekiroğlu, the husband of Halit Ergül's daughter Ceyda Hacıbekiroğlu, and the victim families. The argument escalated and turned into a brawl. Police teams intervened in the fight that broke out.
THE HOTEL OWNER'S SON-IN-LAW TRIED TO PUNCH THE POLICE
Hacıbekiroğlu also tried to punch the police officers who were trying to remove him from the courtroom. Bekir Hacıbekiroğlu was forcibly removed from the courtroom with the intervention of the police.
THE HEARING WAS ADJOURNED
As the courtroom was quickly evacuated, Ceyda Hacıbekiroğlu's husband was also escorted out of the courtroom by the police. Due to the incidents that occurred, the hearing was adjourned until 09:00 in the morning.
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