31.10.2025 13:22
The third hearing regarding the Grand Kartal Hotel disaster, in which 78 people lost their lives, is continuing on its fourth day. In the trial where 32 defendants are being prosecuted, it is expected that after the break, the final statements of the defendants will be asked and the verdict will be announced.
The third hearing of the Grand Kartal Hotel disaster, in which 78 people lost their lives in Bolu, continues on the fourth day. The owner of the hotel, detained defendant Halit Ergül, along with his wife and board member Emine Murtezaoğlu Ergül, made additional defenses regarding the newly entered documents in the case. Then, in yesterday's hearing, the hotel owner Halit Ergül, who did not provide a detailed defense on the merits, gave his defense again.
"I WANT TO BE TRIED WITHOUT ARREST, I AM SORRY" In his defense regarding the merits at the court, detained defendant Halit Ergül stated, "I did not make any changes in this hotel I am renting that would increase the size of any fire. We were regularly inspected. Aygaz is the biggest factor in this incident. Employees from the lowest level of Aygaz are being tried. After the fire incident, they started to examine gas projects in all hotels in Turkey. It was not possible for me to know these deficiencies. A fire that could extinguish itself has become this way because of Aygaz. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism, which inspected us in terms of safety, did not inform us of the deficiencies. It was not possible for me to see the deficiencies that they did not see. I wish they had closed my hotel too so that these things would not have happened. I did not allow weddings in my other hotel. Because fireworks could be shot and birds could die. I would not mix my work with my wife and children. They would only come for vacation. I could not foresee such a fire and these risks. If I had known this would happen, I would not have taken my children and grandchildren to that hotel. I want to be tried without arrest, I am very sorry," he said.
DECISION EXPECTED TODAY The hearing was adjourned until 14:00. After the break, it is expected that the court panel will ask the defendants for their final words and announce the decision.
32 DEFENDANTS ARE ON TRIAL In the fire that broke out at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya Ski Resort on January 21, 78 people lost their lives, and 133 people were injured. In the indictment prepared by the Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the incident; hotel owners, board members, and managers Halit Ergül, Emine Murtezaoğlu Ergül, Ceyda Hacıbekiroğlu, Elif Aras, Emir Aras, Zeki Yılmaz, Ahmet Demir, Kadir Özdemir, Cemal Özer, Mehmet Salun, as well as Bolu Deputy Mayor Sedat Gülener, Acting Fire Chief Kenan Coşkun, and firefighter İrfan Acar are facing a total of 78 counts of 'manslaughter with probable intent' and 'intentional injury with probable intent,' with a request for up to 1998 years in prison.
The indictment also requests that the technical staff 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, reception staff Yiğithan Burak Çetin, officials of Mudurnu Energy Industry and Trade Inc. İbrahim Polat and İsmail Karagöz, officials of FQC Global Certification Inc. Ali Ağaoğlu and employee Aleyna Beşinci, LPG installation maintenance staff Doğan Aydın and Muharrem Şen, Bolu Provincial Special Administration Secretary Sırrı Köstereli, Bolu Provincial Special Administration Deputy Secretary Bünyamin Bal, Bolu Provincial Special Administration License and Inspection Director Yeliz Erdoğan, and former Bolu Provincial Special Administration License and Inspection Director Mehmet Özel be sentenced to up to 22 years and 6 months in prison for 'causing the death and injury of multiple people through conscious negligence.'
THE FIRST HEARING LASTED 10 DAYS The first hearing, which started on July 7 at the gymnasium of Bolu Social Sciences High School and lasted for 10 days, heard all defendants, complainants, and witnesses. In the announced interim decision; it was decided to release detained defendant Faysal Yaver, the breakfast chef's assistant of the hotel, with a travel ban abroad. It was also ruled that detained firefighter İrfan Acar, who was inspecting the hotel, should be arrested. The continuation of the house arrest measure applied to the non-detained defendants İbrahim Polat, Chairman of the Board of Mudurnu A.Ş., İsmail Karagöz, an official of Mudurnu A.Ş., reception staff Yiğithan Burak Çetin, and Ali Ağaoğlu, owner of FQC Inspection Company, was decided. The detention status of the detained defendants was ruled to continue.
THE NUMBER OF DETAINEES HAS INCREASED TO 20 The second hearing of the case started on September 22 and lasted for 2 days. At the end of the hearing, the court panel announced an interim decision regarding the detention status and judicial control measures of the 32 defendants. The court panel decided to continue the detention of the detained defendants, the house arrest of those under house arrest, the arrest of non-detained defendant Mehmet Salun, and the continuation of judicial controls, and adjourned the hearing.
Source: İHA, DHA