Court Hears Families and Lawyers in İsias Trial

The case, heard by the Adıyaman 1st High Criminal Court, involves six public officials accused of negligence in connection with the collapse of the Grand İsias Hotel. The defendants include former Deputy Mayor Osman Bulut, Permit Office Chief Bilal Balcı, Planning and Zoning Director Mehmet Salih Alkayış, municipal worker Abdurrahman Karaaslan, former Zoning Director Yusuf Gül, and permit technician Fazlı Karakuş.

After hearing the families, the court listened to the lawyers representing the plaintiffs.

Lawyer Emrah Genç called for the immediate arrest of the defendants, saying that those who were not assigned responsibility should also be held accountable.

Lawyer Baki Turan said the plaintiffs agreed with parts of the expert report identifying certain defendants as responsible but argued that their actions should be considered “probable intent” rather than negligence. He requested that all defendants be tried and detained under this charge.

Lawyer Gülsüm Özdoğru described the expert report as contradictory, saying officials from the Tourism Ministry who came to award the hotel a “star rating” should also be prosecuted. She drew parallels with the Alpergün Apartment and Kartalkaya Hotel cases and stressed that even if the defendants had not read the documents they signed, they should still be tried under the charge of probable intent.

Lawyer Tan Okay said they disagreed with the expert report’s conclusions about the defendants deemed not responsible. He underlined the need for merit-based appointments in control departments and said those found responsible should be tried and detained under the charge of probable intent.

Lawyer Mehmet Eren Turan argued that the expert report was flawed, noting that it assigned responsibility to three individuals while exonerating three others. He called for a new expert committee to issue a fresh report and urged the court to base its decision on the available evidence.

Turan recalled that an investigation in 2003 had already found the building’s permit and construction unlawful, with a report recommending that the site be sealed and denied occupancy. Despite this, he said, the current defendants issued an occupancy permit, allowing the hotel to open in violation of the law.

Lawyer Yiğit Gökçehan Koçoğlu emphasized that “the building did not construct itself,” pointing to official approvals from state institutions: “Karakuş signed the inspection documents. Mehmet Salih Alkayış also examined and approved the building. You made a mistake. Had this building not been approved despite clear legal violations, we wouldn’t be here today.”

Koçoğlu also said the expert report was insufficient and inconsistent, making it inadequate for a final judgment. Highlighting document forgery in the hotel’s construction permits, he called for a new expert review and argued that releasing the defendants pending trial was unacceptable: “A signature is a responsibility. Those who signed cannot claim they bear none. These individuals must be held accountable for the deaths caused by their actions.”

Following the lawyers’ statements, the court adjourned for a 30-minute break. The session will resume with statements from the defendants and their lawyers.