23.09.2025 22:00
In the second day of the second hearing of the case regarding the Grand Kartal Hotel fire, which resulted in the deaths of 78 people and injuries to 133 others in Bolu, the court announced its interim decision. The defendant, accounting assistant manager Mehmet Salun, who was not in custody, was also arrested. The number of detainees in the case has risen to 20.
```html
In the Grand Kartal Hotel fire in Bolu, where 78 people lost their lives and 133 were injured, the prosecution read its opinion on the second day of the second hearing of the case. Additionally, the prosecutor requested the arrest of 4 defendants who are being tried without detention. The court panel, announcing its interim decision, ruled to grant time for the opinion on the merits, to continue the detention of the detained defendants, to arrest Mehmet Salun, and to maintain the judicial control measures applied to the defendants not in detention, and postponed the hearing to October 27.
THE TRIAL CONTINUES IN THE KARTALKAYA FIRE
On the second day of the second hearing of the case held in the gymnasium of Bolu Social Sciences High School, 32 defendants, including 19 in detention, as well as complainants and their lawyers attended. In the hearing held yesterday, the defendants made their defenses regarding 4 complainants included in the joined indictment. After the statements of the complainant lawyers regarding the joined indictment and the documents received between the sessions were taken, witness statements were heard. Then, the court panel announced its interim decisions.
PROSECUTION READS ITS OPINION
The 21-page opinion submitted to the Bolu 1st Heavy Criminal Court by the prosecution was read in the courtroom. Hotel managers Halit Ergül, Emir Aras, Ahmet Demir, and Kadir Özdemir, as well as Bolu Deputy Mayor Sedat Gülener, Acting Fire Chief Kenan Coşkun, and Firefighter İrfan Acar were evaluated to have acted with "possible intent." The prosecution stated that these defendants accepted the anticipated outcome by acting with the mentality of "whatever happens," despite being aware of the identified life risks.
REQUEST FOR ARREST OF 4 PEOPLE
In the opinion, it was requested that a large number of defendants, including hotel board members Emine Murtezaoğlu Ergül, Ceyda Hacıbekiroğlu, and Elif Aras, as well as the hotel manager, technical responsible persons, occupational safety experts, officials from the auditing firm, chefs, and LPG maintenance personnel, be punished for the crime of "causing the death and injury of multiple people with conscious negligence."
For 4 defendants who are personnel of the Bolu Special Administration, a penalty was requested for the crime of "causing death and injury by negligence," while it was stated that there was insufficient evidence regarding the responsibility of head chef Enver Öztürk to issue a verdict of acquittal.
After the reading of the opinion, the prosecutor requested the arrest of Doğan Aydın, the LPG installation maintenance officer being tried without detention, hotel accounting assistant manager Mehmet Salun, occupational health and safety expert Ece Kayacan, and occupational health and safety expert Kübra Demir. The prosecutor also requested that the detention status of the detained defendants be continued.
1 MORE PERSON ARRESTED
While the defense lawyers requested time against the opinion on the merits, Doğan Aydın, one of the defendants not in detention who had an arrest request against him, requested his acquittal, while Kübra Demir, Ece Kayacan, and Mehmet Salun requested the rejection of their arrest requests. The court panel, announcing its interim decision, ruled to grant time for the opinion on the merits, to continue the detention of the detained defendants, to arrest Mehmet Salun, and to maintain the judicial control measures applied to the defendants not in detention, and postponed the hearing to October 27.
```