It became a grave for 44 people... Decision in the Said Bey Sitesi case: Imprisonment for 8 defendants, including the contractor!

In the case regarding the death of 44 people in the Said Bey Site, which collapsed during the earthquakes on February 6, 2023 in Kahramanmaraş, 8 of the 11 defendants, 2 of whom were public officials, were sentenced to prison.

The detained defendant Hasan Çam, the complainants and the lawyers of the parties attended the hearing held at the Kahramanmaraş 4th High Criminal Court. One of the detained defendants, Y.K. and M.Y. were connected to the hearing via Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS) from their provinces. Other undetained defendants were not present at the hearing.

Arrested contractor Hasan Çam, whose last words were asked by the court panel, repeated his previous defenses and requested his acquittal.

CONTRACTOR HASAN ÇAM: I DON'T KNOW ABOUT TECHNICAL WORKS

Arguing that he had no technical knowledge about construction, Çam said, "I do not accept the accusations made against me. I only had the building built by paying the fee. I do not understand technical works. The building was built in accordance with its project."

Other detained defendants also denied the charges and asked for their acquittal. The defendant's lawyers also claimed that their clients were innocent and requested acquittal.

The complainants, who spoke at the hearing, wanted the defendants to be punished in the most severe way.

The hearing prosecutor requested that the defendants be punished for "causing the death and injury of more than one person through conscious negligence".

The court took a break from the hearing to announce its decision.

PUNISHMENTS IMPOSED TO THE DEFENDANTS

Announcing its decision after the break, the court panel sentenced the detained defendant Hasan Çam to 11 years, 1 month and 10 days in prison for "causing the death and injury of more than one person through conscious negligence".

Unarrested defendants H.Y, Y.K, M.Y, H.İ.U. and M.K were sentenced to 8 years, 10 months and 20 days in prison each for the same crime. The defendants were also banned from practicing for 2 years.

Public officials who were tried without arrest were former Dulkadiroğlu Municipality Deputy Director of Zoning and Urbanization A.Ö. and S.B., who worked as an architect in the municipality. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison for "negligently causing the death and injury of more than one person".

The court panel, static project and application inspector İ.K. and building inspection company officials Z.B.K. and S.A. decided to separate their files.

In the indictment prepared by the Kahramanmaraş Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, a lawsuit was filed against the defendants regarding the Said Bey Site, which collapsed in the earthquakes on February 6, 2023 and 44 people lost their lives, for "causing the death and injury of more than one person through conscious negligence."