Turkey's Earthquake Lawsuits: 369 Indictments Prepared, 275 Accepted

Following the earthquakes in Turkey, provincial chief public prosecutors launched investigations against those responsible. Measures were taken against 2,825 suspects, with arrest warrants issued for 267 and judicial control measures imposed on 984. Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced that 369 indictments have been prepared in the investigations, with 275 accepted by the courts. Review of the remaining indictments is ongoing. In these investigations, building owners, contractors, and other civilian officials were initially arrested, and cases were filed against them.

'Gross Negligence' Article

Instead of "causing death by possible intention," which leads to higher penalties, imprisonment for up to 22 years is sought for the crime of "causing the death of multiple people by conscious negligence." It's not expected that defendants sentenced under this article will remain in custody for long under execution provisions.

No Public Officials Charged

Investigations were initiated by prosecutors against negligent public officials, with permission requested from relevant ministries. However, it's unclear if any public officials have been granted investigation permission or faced charges.

42 Signatures Required

Hüseyin Cihat Açıkalın, President of the Hatay Bar Association, noted that 42 signatures are required from the construction stage to the occupancy permit stage of a building. There's a municipal aspect of responsibility for collapsed buildings, and municipal employees found negligent should be brought to trial.

400 Million Euro Grant from the EU

The European Union is preparing to send a grant of 400 million euros (13.1 billion TL) for last year's earthquake disaster. The bilateral Authorization Agreement for the grant, provided within the scope of Ankara's application to the EU Solidarity Fund, will be signed in Brussels today. Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Mehmet Kemal Bozay will attend on behalf of Turkey, while Commissioner Elisa Ferreira, responsible for Cohesion and Reforms, will represent the EU Commission. The grant is significant for two reasons: it's the highest grant given to a candidate country from the EU Solidarity Fund since its establishment in 2002, and it's not tied to any project or condition.