07.07.2025 23:20
The words of the detained defendant, Sırrı Köstereli, the General Secretary of the Provincial Special Administration, stirred the courtroom during the trial regarding the hotel disaster in Kartalkaya, where 78 people lost their lives. Köstereli said, "I have been away from my family for 5 months," while the victim's families reacted by saying, "We will never see our children again."
In relation to the fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu Kartalkaya Ski Resort, 32 defendants, including the hotel owner and municipal officials, appeared before the judge, 19 of whom are in custody.
DEFENDANTS IN COURT IN THE TRAGEDY WHERE 78 PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES
The hearing, held in a specially created hall in the gymnasium of Bolu Social Sciences High School by the Bolu 1st Heavy Penal Court, was attended by detained and non-detained defendants, those injured in the fire, relatives of the deceased, and lawyers for the parties.
REMARKS BY THE DETAINED DEFENDANT THAT SPARKED REACTIONS
During the hearing, detained defendant Sırrı Köstereli, the General Secretary of Bolu Special Administration, stated, "Firstly, since the Grand Kartal Hotel is not within the municipal boundaries, the authority to grant a license lies with the Special Administration. The business obtained a license in 2021 based on Article 5 of Law No. 5302 as a result of its application to our administration at that time. However, a fire inspection was not conducted because we did not have specialized personnel in this area."
"I HAVE BEEN AWAY FROM MY FAMILY FOR 5 MONTHS"
Köstereli continued his remarks as follows: "I was not notified about the lack of fire experts. I work under the governor. If there was such a need, it would have been discussed with the governor. But no such request was made."
Köstereli's statement, "I have been away from my family for 5 months," angered the victim families. The victim families reacted by saying, "We will never see our children again."
THE FIRE TRAGEDY IN KARTALKAYA
In the fire that broke out at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu Kartalkaya Ski Resort on January 21, 78 people lost their lives, and 133 people were injured.
In the 98-page indictment prepared by the Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and accepted by the 1st Heavy Penal Court, hotel owners, 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, as well as Bolu Municipality Deputy Mayor Sedat Gülener, Acting Fire Chief Kenan Coşkun, and firefighter İrfan Acar are facing a total of 1998 years in prison for 78 counts of "intentional killing with probable intent" and "intentional injury with probable intent."
The technical personnel of the hotel, 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, officials of Mudurnu Energy Industry and Trade Inc. İbrahim Polat and İsmail Karagöz, FQC Global Certification Inc. official Ali Ağaoğlu and employee Aleyna Beşinci, LPG installation maintenance personnel Doğan Aydın and Muharrem Şen, General Secretary of the Special Administration Sırrı Köstereli, Deputy General Secretary of the Special Administration Bünyamin Bal, Special Administration License and Inspection Director Yeliz Erdoğan, and former Special Administration License and Inspection Director Mehmet Özel are also facing up to 22 years and 6 months in prison for "causing the death and injury of multiple people through conscious negligence."