The verdict has been announced in the case regarding the Grand İsias Hotel, where 72 people died in the earthquake.

In Adıyaman, regarding the case of the Grand İsias Hotel, which was destroyed in the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023, where 72 people lost their lives, 11 defendants, including hotel owner Ahmet Bozkurt, were sentenced to varying prison terms from 8 years and 4 months to 18 years, 5 months, and 7 days.

The hearing, which started yesterday and continued throughout the day in the multipurpose conference hall on the ground floor of the courthouse by the Adıyaman 3rd Heavy Penal Court, was attended via the Audio and Visual Information System by detained defendants Ahmet Bozkurt, Mehmet Fatih Bozkurt, and Erdem Yıldız from their prison. KKTC Prime Minister Ünal Üstel, the families of the deceased athletes, and the lawyers of the parties were also present at the hearing. When asked for their final words, detained defendant Ahmet Bozkurt stated, "I am not guilty; I am being slandered. I request my release; I do not accept the accusations." Detained defendant Mehmet Fatih Bozkurt also stated that he did not accept the accusations.

"I WILL DEFINITELY BE ACQUITTED, TODAY OR TOMORROW"

Detained defendant architect Erdem Yıldız stated, "I will definitely be acquitted, today or tomorrow." The non-detained defendants Halil Bağcı and Mehmet Göncüoğlu also requested their acquittal. After taking a break of about 3.5 hours to deliberate, the panel announced its decision. The court sentenced hotel owner Ahmet Bozkurt to 18 years, 5 months, and 7 days in prison for "causing the death and injury of multiple people through conscious negligence." The panel also sentenced Bozkurt's son Mehmet Fatih Bozkurt to 17 years, 4 months, and 28 days, and architect Erdem Yıldız to 18 years, 5 months, and 7 days in prison for the same crime. The panel decided to continue the detention of the defendants and ruled for the issuance of an arrest warrant for defendant Hasan Aslan, who was sentenced to 16 years, 4 months, and 20 days in prison for the same crime. The panel also sentenced defendants Halil Bağcı and Mehmet Göncüoğlu to 8 years and 4 months in prison each for the same crime, applying good behavior reductions in the sentences. The panel decided to acquit Ahmet Bozkurt's wife Ulviye and their children Efe Bozkurt, Bilge Açık, Seda Zeren, and Şule Özbek.

"THE PENALTY WE AIMED FOR WAS NOT FULLY RECEIVED BY THE HOTEL OWNERS"

After the verdict hearing, KKTC Prime Minister Ünal Üstel made a statement to the press in front of the Adıyaman Courthouse. Üstel conveyed that the KKTC people united in the Grand İsias Hotel case, stating, "Finally, the verdict has been announced; first and foremost, justice has been served. The penalty we aimed for was not fully received by the hotel owners. However, justice has been applied to everyone involved in the construction of the hotel, from the architect to other sectors. This has made us somewhat happy." He expressed that they have been following the case in Adıyaman from the very beginning and that they trust the justice of the Republic of Turkey, saying, "This case has concluded here, but it is not over for us yet. We still have work to do. After the reasoned decision of the case is announced, we will take this decision to the appellate court and will continue to follow it as a country."

CASE HISTORY

In the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, an indictment was prepared against detained defendants Ahmet Bozkurt, his son Mehmet Fatih Bozkurt, and architect Erdem Yıldız, along with 8 non-detained defendants, regarding the Grand İsias Hotel, where 72 people, including athletes from KKTC, lost their lives. The indictment requested that the defendants be punished with imprisonment ranging from 2 years and 8 months to 22 years and 6 months for the crime of "causing the death and injury of multiple people through conscious negligence." It was stated in the indictment that an unauthorized floor was added to the hotel, which was built as a residence in 1993, in 2016, that the quality of the materials used in the building was insufficient, and that regulations were not followed.