The contractor of the building, in which 134 people lost their lives, has been sentenced to 21 years in prison.

On February 6, during the earthquakes, 134 people lost their lives as a result of the collapse of four blocks of the six-block Ayşe-Mehmet Polat Site in the Atatürk neighborhood of Şehitkamil district in Gaziantep. The Gaziantep Chief Public Prosecutor's Office filed a lawsuit against the contractor and technical representative of the site, Mehmet Ertan Akay, and the architectural project author, Altan Bayhan.

DECISION ISSUED

Gaziantep 7th Heavy Penal Court held the decision hearing, where the defendant Mehmet Ertan Akay attended from the prison where he is detained, while the non-detained defendant Altan Bayhan participated via SEGBİS from his location. Those who lost their relatives in the earthquake and the lawyers of the parties were also present in the courtroom.

21 YEARS IN PRISON FOR THE CONTRACTOR

The complainants and their lawyers stated that they were complaining about the defendants. Detained contractor Mehmet Ertan Akay claimed that he was "innocently and unjustly imprisoned" and requested his release and acquittal. The non-detained defendant, architectural project author Altan Bayhan, also reiterated his previous defenses and requested acquittal.

The court panel sentenced the contractor and technical representative Mehmet Ertan Akay to 21 years and 9 months in prison for the crime of "causing the death of multiple people with conscious negligence." The architectural project author Altan Bayhan, who was tried for the same crime, was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

NO GOOD BEHAVIOR DISCOUNT APPLIED

Furthermore, the court did not apply a "good behavior discount" to either of the two defendants.