08.07.2025 11:20
On the second day of the first hearing of the Bolu Kartalkaya hotel fire case, there was a brief moment of tension in the courtroom. The defendant, Mehmet Özel, the former Director of Licensing and Inspection of the Bolu Special Administration, stated that the fire report was in the file during the inspections, while the victim's lawyer claimed that there was no report in the file. In response to a question from the lawyer, Özel said, "The hotel should have been closed until the fire report was obtained."
The first hearing of the case regarding the Grand Kartal Hotel fire, which resulted in the deaths of 78 people, including 36 children, is continuing on its second day, with 32 defendants, 19 of whom are in custody. The defendant, Mehmet Özel, the Director of the Seben District Special Administration, who is being tried for "causing death and injury through conscious negligence" and faces a prison sentence of up to 22 years and 6 months, took the stand to defend himself.
"I HAVE NO RESPONSIBILITY REGARDING THE LICENSE" Mehmet Özel, who stated that he is in custody because he worked as the Director of License Inspection at the Provincial Special Administration between 2010-2016, said:
"I worked as the License and Inspection Director between 2010-2016. I left my position in 2016. The license issuance date of the hotel is 2007. I was not in office at that time. I have no responsibility regarding the license. The Grand Kartal Hotel is in the tourism sector and received its operating license in 2002. It obtained its license from the Special Administration in 2007. The Provincial Special Administration has no inspection authority. There is no provision for inspections related to fire. If a report has been obtained from the fire department, the business license is issued. It is obtained once. The fire department conducts inspections regarding fire. The Provincial Special Administration has no authority and does not have specialized personnel for fire. All hotels also obtain a tourism operation certificate and are inspected by the Ministry of Tourism. We inspect the documents related to the regulation; we do not inspect the hotel. Hotels are inspected by the relevant ministries. I am here because I am the former License and Inspection Director. I have no crime related to the Grand Kartal Hotel fire. This is inspected by the Ministry of Tourism. While inspections are conducted on facilities outside the tourism sector, this has also been viewed as an authority overreach. There are tenants in the hotel, and inspections have been conducted to oversee them. These are inspections based on their competencies. The fire report is issued once. The fire report was present in the file. The fire report states 'it cannot be obtained again.'
Defendant Mehmet Özel, the Director of Seben District Special Administration "THERE IS NO FIRE SAFETY CERTIFICATE IN THE FILE" According to the information conveyed by journalist Emrullah Erdinç, the dialogues during the hearing were as follows:
Victim's Lawyer: Did you examine whether the license was sufficient during your inspections? Two of the five inspections were conducted during your term.
Defendant Mehmet Özel: The fire report is examined through documents. We have acted without authority by going to inspect places outside the tourism sector. We have conducted irregular inspections.
Victim's Lawyer: The fire safety certificate is not in the file. It was not present during your term either. Did you investigate the existence of this document?
Defendant Mehmet Özel: The fire report is issued once.
TENSION IN THE HEARING The defendant's lawyer objected to the questions. The victim's families responded, "We are asking questions based on the answer." A brief tension occurred among the lawyers in the hall.
"THE FIRE REPORT WAS IN THE FILE" Victim's Lawyer: Did you check the file according to the regulation after the license was issued?
Defendant Mehmet Özel: Yes, I checked. The fire report was in the file.
Victim's Lawyer: I asked this question because there was no report in the file. Thank you.
"IF THERE IS NO FIRE REPORT, THE HOTEL SHOULD HAVE BEEN CLOSED" Victim's Lawyer: Did you inform your superiors when you went for inspections?
Defendant Mehmet Özel: Yes, I informed them. My superior was the assistant general secretary.
Victim's Lawyer: ( General Secretary of the Provincial Special Administration) Mr. Sırrı said he was not informed and that if he had known, he would have opened an investigation.
After these dialogues, the victim's lawyer wanted to direct a question to another defendant regarding the same issue.
Victim's Lawyer: What happens if there is no fire report?
Defendant Mehmet Özel: The hotel should have been closed until the fire report was obtained.
"WE WERE NOT INFORMED ABOUT THE ELEVATOR RENOVATION" Victim's Lawyer: You said that a fire report is not obtained unless there is a change in the structure. However, an elevator renovation was done in the hotel. Isn't this a change?
Defendant Mehmet Özel: We were not aware of this situation. We are only informed if there is an architectural change.
Defendant's Lawyer: Who from the hotel management communicated with you or your institution?
Defendant Mehmet Özel: I do not remember.