11.07.2025 15:56
In the case related to the hotel fire in Bolu Kartalkaya that claimed the lives of 78 people, Halit Ergül, the owner of Grand Kartal Hotel, made a defense statement. Ergül responded to the question, "Why are you hosting the inspectors from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for free? Are you trying to be charming?" by saying, "No, I didn't do such a thing; I don't know if an invoice was issued or not."
In the hotel fire tragedy at Bolu Kartalkaya Ski Resort, where 36 children and 78 people lost their lives, the fifth day of the trial of 32 defendants, including 19 who are in custody, was held. Halit Ergül, the owner of Grand Kartal Hotel, made his defense. During the hearing held in a specially created hall in the sports hall of Bolu Social Sciences High School by the Bolu 1st Heavy Penal Court, defendant Halit Ergül answered questions from the plaintiffs' lawyers. In response to a question, Ergül stated that he has been in the tourism business for 30 years and owns two hotels.
"WE FELT SAFE BECAUSE IT WAS SAID TO BE 'SUITABLE'"
When asked where he was during the inspection of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on December 16, 2024, Ergül said, "Emir said, 'Dad, they are looking at everything here, as if they are looking for faults.' I was in Bolu."
In response to Ergül's question, "Was a report prepared during the inspection?" he replied, "It must have been prepared," to which the lawyer responded, "The report date is written as January 22, 2025. It is written that there is a smoke detector in the rooms; is there a smoke detector?" Ergül replied, "We felt safe because it was said to be suitable; there is a smoke detector."
"WHY ARE YOU HOSPITALIZING INSPECTORS FOR FREE, ARE YOU BEING CUTE?"
In response to the question, "Why are you hosting the inspectors of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for free, are you being cute?" Ergül replied, "No, I didn't do such a thing; I don't know if an invoice was issued."
When Ergül was asked, "Is it normal not to charge fees from the inspectors of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism?" he said, "If we don't charge fees, will they not show our faults?"
"IF THEY KNEW IT WAS UNSAFE, THEY WOULD HAVE SEALED IT"
In response to the question, "Was the reason the inspectors did not want to stay at Grand Kartal Hotel because they knew the hotel was unsafe?" Ergül replied, "If they knew it was unsafe, they would have sealed us."
HE RESPONDED LIKE THIS TO THE LACK OF MONEY IN HIS ACCOUNT
Ergül stated, "After January 22, there was serious movement in the bank accounts; we couldn't find even 1 lira because we had a precautionary injunction decision on the accounts," to which he replied, "The hotel closed, staff payments and compensation payments were made."
"THE RESPONSIBLE ARE THOSE WHO DID NOT CONDUCT THE INSPECTION"
In response to the question, "Did you think of reporting anyone, who do you think is responsible?" Ergül answered, "Those who did not conduct the inspection."
In response to Ergül's statement, "In the expert report, it is stated that the cause of the fire is not mentioned, but the LPG issue is indicated as the primary cause of the increase in deaths," he said, "The expert report states, 'If LPG had been checked, the fire could have extinguished itself within a few minutes.' We did not know its deficiency. The contract with Aygaz states, 'Aygaz will inspect twice a year.' If there is a deficiency related to the fire, they cut off the gas. We thought it was all right."
"WE PASSED THE INSPECTIONS COMPLETELY"
In response to the questions, "Are you aware that Aygaz has not come since 2022, who should be aware?" Ergül replied, "No." and "We passed the inspections completely."
In response to the plaintiffs' lawyer's statement that "the expert report states that the fire control panel was not in place," Ergül said, "I think someone took it."
In response to the question, "Is the thermostat in the 'grill plate' device that caused the fire faulty, did you conduct an inspection, do you have any information?" Ergül replied, "I am not knowledgeable; my friends said it was not faulty. If it were faulty, the necessary action would have been taken."
"THE COST OF ELIMINATING THE DEFICIENCIES WOULD NOT BE VERY HIGH"
In response to a question about renting a café belonging to the hotel, Ergül stated that he knew it was rented but did not know what transactions were carried out.
When asked whether Ergül, as a manager, inspected the hotel, he noted that he did not inspect it in that manner but occasionally walked around the hotel.
In response to the question, "How much would it cost to eliminate the deficiencies identified by the sprinkler system and the fire department?" Ergül replied, "I don't know, but it wouldn't be very high."
When asked, "Did you not invest because Grand Kartal Hotel did not provide you with as much profit as Gazelle Hotel?" Ergül replied, "I have no statement that we did not invest in Grand Kartal Hotel. The investment amount will be extracted from the accounting records."
Later, while answering questions from the defendants' lawyers, Ergül responded to the question, "Why does the Ministry not conduct inspections related to sustainable tourism but accredits companies?" by saying, "To give a safe image to foreign guests because there is a sustainable tourism certificate."
The hearing will continue with the cross-examination of defendant Ergül after the break.