The trial concerning the devastating fire at the Grand Kartal Otel in Bolu’s Kartalkaya region, which claimed 78 lives and injured 133 others, has resumed for its second day. Proceedings are taking place in the sports hall of Bolu Social Sciences High School, following a recess granted at midnight by the Bolu 1st High Criminal Court. A total of 32 defendants are on trial, with 19 of them currently in custody.
The session, which is focused on hearing the defendants’ testimonies, is being observed by a number of prominent political figures. Among those in attendance are AK Parti Genel Başkan Yardımcısı Ahmet Baha Öğütken, AK Parti Ankara Milletvekili Zeynep Yıldız, AK Parti Milletvekili Yusuf Ziya Aldatmaz, CHP Bolu Milletvekili Türker Ateş, and CHP Muğla Mileltvekili Süreyya Öneş Derici.
**ACCOUNTING MANAGER ÖZDEMİR: “WE CANNOT ACT WITHOUT THE HOTEL MANAGEMENT’S KNOWLEDGE”**
One of the detained defendants, Grand Kartal Otel’s accounting manager Kadir Özdemir, began his defense by rejecting the claim that he was a hotel manager. “I do not accept the allegation that I was a hotel executive. I am employed as a worker,” he stated.
Özdemir explained that his primary employment was at the Gazelle Otel, and he only visited the Grand Kartal Otel for a few days during the season. He elaborated on his role: “I was granted a limited power of attorney by the hotel management, but we still cannot conduct any business or transactions without their knowledge. A fire safety report was required for a new cafe set to open beneath the hotel. Emir Bey said, ‘let’s do whatever is necessary.'” Özdemir mentioned that Emir Bey had applied for a fire compliance certificate for the leased section. “Because the cafe’s name was White Fox, I wrote the hotel’s name on the application, thinking municipal employees wouldn’t recognize a foreign name. However, the permit was issued for the entire hotel,” he testified. Following this, an inspection was scheduled. Özdemir recalled Emir Bey’s reaction: “‘Why are they inspecting us? We already have a business license from 2007. We can’t do this now. Let’s cancel it.’ I then reported this to hotel manager Ahmet Demir.” According to Özdemir, Ahmet Bey later spoke with someone from the municipality or fire department and reported that the certificate would be cancelled and a new inspection scheduled. “I might not have told Ahmet Bey about the deficiencies, but I may have mentioned the inspection,” Özdemir added. He stated that the inspection for the cafe was eventually completed and a certificate was issued. “It’s impossible for me to have participated in the Ministry’s audit; Emir and Zeki Bey attended that. My own accounting duties are very demanding. I don’t have the capacity to be involved in such matters. My job is with accounting and personnel, I have no connection to administrative affairs.”
**DEFENSE OF “NO KNOWLEDGE”**
When questioned by a complainant’s attorney, who asked, “In the days following the fire, before your arrest on January 25th, the company’s accounts were emptied and vehicles were sold. As the accounting manager, were you aware of this?”, Özdemir responded, “No, I have no information on this matter.”
The defendant Özdemir also claimed, “During meetings we held from time to time, Halit Ergün had said, ‘There is no need to hire an occupational safety expert.'” He further stated, “I do not stand by all the statements I gave during the investigation phase; I have made corrections. My testimony here today is what is accurate.”
An attorney for another defendant challenged Özdemir’s testimony: “You said you are not involved in administrative affairs, yet you handle all correspondence with public institutions. In a WhatsApp message, you also wrote, ‘I work at Gazelle but I’m busy with Grand Kartal.’ Why is that?” Özdemir defended himself by explaining, “Because the parent company is the same. Yes, I handle the correspondence related to accounting. Since I am based in Bolu, I was also handling other tasks. Every task is under the supervision of Emir Bey.”
The Presiding Judge pointed out a conflict of interest, noting that the attorney for Gazelle Otel’s accounting staff member, Mehmet Salun, was the same as the attorney for defendant Kadir Özdemir. The judge cited the rule that “an attorney cannot represent two individuals in the same case if one’s defense could potentially harm the other’s,” and stated that due to this conflict of interest between the defendants, they could not share legal counsel. Consequently, it was declared that when Salun’s turn to testify comes, he must do so with a different lawyer.
**”THE EXPERT BLAMED ME, BUT I ONLY CHECK THE SYSTEM; I DIDN’T INSTALL IT”**
The proceedings then shifted to the testimony of Doğan Aydın, an un-detained defendant and former Aygaz employee who conducted LPG system inspections. Aydın, who stated he left the company in 2021, said, “Because the hotel was far from the center, we would call the technical staff before going. We would only go if they were at the hotel. Aygaz supplies gas here; I only provide the service.”
Next, Muharrem Şen, a detained defendant working as a contracted technical serviceman for Aygaz A.Ş., gave his statement. “Despite not being mentioned in the expert report, I have been in custody for 5 months,” he began. “The expert has accused me, but my role is only to check the system. I did not install it. I am a contracted service provider for Aygaz.” Şen argued that he fulfilled his duties completely and presented technical arguments against the possibility of a gas leak. “If there had been an LPG leak in this incident, an explosion would have occurred. The alarm light should have been purple, not blue. The fact that the alarm did not activate indicates there was no LPG leak,” he asserted. “When I went to check, I saw that the gas had been cut off automatically. I am merely an individual with a contract with Aygaz A.Ş. I did not draw up the project; the people who did should be the ones arrested.”
**”WHY AREN’T THE INSTALLERS OF THE HOTEL’S LPG SYSTEM BEING INVESTIGATED?”**
Muharrem Şen’s lawyer echoed his client’s defense, asking, “Why are the individuals who installed the LPG system at the hotel not being investigated? The ones who should be on trial here are the officials from Aygaz, not Muharrem Şen.” The attorney emphasized, “My client was not involved in the installation process; he only conducted gas leak checks. He only performed periodic maintenance in 2022. The necessary licenses were obtained by Aygaz, and the gas service is also provided by them. My client cannot take any action on his own.” The lawyer concluded by accusing Aygaz of withholding information: “Aygaz persistently refuses to name its own personnel. We request an expansion of the investigation. Let these names be investigated.”