Requests for release were denied in the cable car accident case

In the third hearing of the cable car accident in Antalya, where one person died, the continued detention of five defendants was decided. The request of Kepez Mayor Mesut Kocagöz, who is being tried without arrest, to be exempt from attending the hearings due to his public duties was also accepted.

On April 12, in the Konyaaltı district, a cable car accident occurred that resulted in the death of one person, injuries to seven others, and the rescue of trapped individuals. Six people, including the former chairman of the cable car operator ANET and the current Kepez Mayor Mesut Kocagöz, were detained in connection with the accident. The 36-page indictment included 150 complainants, including Memiş Gümüş, who lost his life in the incident. Among the 12 defendants listed in the indictment are Kepez Mayor Mesut Kocagöz, Acting General Manager of ANET Ahmet Buğra Samsunlu, Okan Erol, and Serkan Yellice. The prosecutor sought to punish the 12 defendants for "causing death and injury through negligence."

FIRST RELEASE FOR MAYOR KOCAGÖZ AT THE FIRST HEARING

The indictment states that Mesut Kocagöz, Ahmet Buğra Samsunlu, Edip Kemal Bahadır, Serdar Tezcan, Okan Erol, Serkan Yellice, and Suphi Kaplan were considered primarily at fault, while Orhan Karaoğlan, Kazım Kılıç, Hüseyin Ay, Özgür Ermiş, and Aziz Azizoğlu were considered secondarily at fault. The prosecutor requested sentences of up to 27 years in prison for the defendants. The indictment was accepted by the Antalya 6th High Criminal Court. Mayor Kocagöz was released in the first hearing after the court lifted his travel ban. The third hearing of the case at the Antalya 6th High Criminal Court included detained defendants Ahmet Buğra Samsunlu, Serkan Yellice, Serdar Tezcan, Okan Erol, and Suphi Kaplan, along with a total of 12 defendants, including the free defendant Mesut Kocagöz.

"WE WERE LEFT TO DIE"

Ayşegül Koçer, who wanted to join the case as a complainant against the defendants, stated, "My 19-year-old son Adem Koçer is a diabetic. He couldn’t receive his insulin for a whole day. I have epilepsy, and I was without my medication. I could have had a seizure. I was in the 25th cabin. We were among the last to be rescued." İsmail Koçer, another complainant against the defendants, said, "There were seven of us in the cabin. We were left to die in the cable car for 20 hours." Mine Önal, the cabin welcoming officer who testified in the case, stated, "We had no idea that the cabin had fallen. We learned about it from the people running and the ambulances arriving."

EYES ON THE EXPERT REPORT

In the prosecutor's opinion, they requested the continuation of the defendants' detention and judicial controls. The lawyers of the detained defendants objected to their detention. The defendants also requested their release. Mesut Kocagöz requested to be exempt from attending hearings due to his public duties. The court panel, after a brief recess, accepted the request for the 45-day period requested by the experts to address deficiencies, emphasizing that the upcoming report would significantly determine the fault ratios, making it important. The panel decided to continue the detention of the defendants Ahmet Buğra Samsunlu, Serkan Yellice, Serdar Tezcan, Okan Erol, and Suphi Kaplan, and accepted Mesut Kocagöz's request to be exempt from attending the hearings due to his public duties.