Somer Chef sentenced to 5.5 years in prison.

On May 21, 2022, in the Etiler neighborhood of Istanbul, a wall collapsed in front of Chef Somer Sivrioğlu's restaurant, resulting in the death of one person and injuries to another. The court has reached a decision regarding the case.

The hearing at the Istanbul 32nd High Criminal Court was attended by the defendant Gülay Kula, who is not in custody, and the lawyers of the parties involved. During the hearing, the defense lawyers requested the acquittal of their clients.

5.5 YEARS FOR CHEF SOMER SIVRIOĞLU

The court that concluded the case sentenced Somer Sivrioğlu, Kazım Evirgen, and Kadri Berk Cemal to 5 years in prison for the crime of "causing death and injury by negligence." The panel, which determined that the defendants acted with "conscious negligence," reduced the sentence of 6 years and 8 months to 5 years, 6 months, and 20 days, considering the impact of the sentence on the defendants. The court panel acquitted Sakine Öçal, Gülay Kula, Sevinç Kula, and Mehmet Levent Kula.

UP TO 22 YEARS IN PRISON WAS SOUGHT

The indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office stated that on May 21, 2022, a wall collapsed in front of a restaurant on Nispetiye Street in the Etiler neighborhood. It was recorded that one person died and another was injured due to the collapse. The indictment explained that despite being in a position to foresee the death or injury of individuals due to the collapse of the garden wall, the defendants continued to use the wall without carrying out licensing, maintenance, renovation, repair, or reinforcement procedures.

The indictment noted that the defendants' actions, which violated their duty of care and diligence, resulted in the injury of the complainant Baha Eddin Ali Hafez Shanableh and the death of Ahmad Muhammed Salem Lubbad. It was requested that Somer Sivrioğlu, Sakine Öçal, Gülay Kula, Sevinç Kula, Mehmet Levent Kula, Kazım Evirgen, and Kadri Berk Cemal be sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 2 years and 8 months to 22 years and 6 months for the crime of "causing the death or injury of one or more persons by conscious negligence."