Suspects in Filo Jet Disaster Remanded for Another Seven Days

A court has ordered the continued detention of nine suspects for a further seven days as part of the investigation into the Filo Jet disaster.

Police told the court that 59 days of the vessel’s VDR recordings had been examined, with nine days of recordings still to be reviewed. Approximately 2,000 pages of documents have been obtained from Türk Loydu, while the duties and responsibilities of the crew are also under scrutiny. The court ordered that the suspects remain in custody for another seven days.

Search and rescue operations related to the Filo Jet disaster are continuing. The Security Forces Command (GKK) is conducting aerial flights twice a week, both during the day and at night, while police teams continue daily searches along the coastline in an effort to find the last missing person.

Police said the documents awaited from Türk Loydu had been obtained on November 4 and that examinations of the international maritime certificates held by the vessel’s crew had begun.

As part of the investigation, 59 days of the vessel’s VDR recordings have been examined. Police said nine days remained to be reviewed and that the work was expected to be completed this week. It was also stated that police would take statements from certain individuals based on the recordings examined so far.

CREW MEMBERS’ DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES TO BE EXAMINED

Police said the responsibilities of the vessel’s officers would be examined in light of the response received from Türk Loydu. It was stated that, once the crew members’ duties had been established and their international certificates examined, it would become clear which offences the suspects could potentially be held responsible for.

The documents held by the vessel’s personnel will be assessed within the framework of their main contracts and compared with the events that took place and the statements obtained. Following these examinations, the crew members’ respective duties and responsibilities will be compared, and the cases against the suspects will be shaped accordingly, police said.

NEARLY 2,000 PAGES OF DOCUMENTS FROM TÜRK LOYDU

Police said approximately 2,000 pages of documents had been sent by Türk Loydu on a large USB drive. The documents will be examined by police, while the vessel’s previous maintenance history and certificates will also be investigated.

The documents obtained will be compared with repair work previously identified as non-compliant on the vessel, police said.

It was also stated that the VDR recordings contained information about malfunctions on the vessel and conversations among crew members.

Although the investigation was largely nearing completion, police said there were still new documents to examine and information requiring comparison. On these grounds, the prosecution requested that the suspects remain in custody for a further seven days.

DEFENCE LAWYER: NECESSARY EXPERT EXAMINATIONS NOT CARRIED OUT DURING INVESTIGATION

The defence lawyer argued that, during the investigation process, which had continued over 11 court hearings, the necessary examinations had not been conducted by qualified experts. Claiming that the investigation carried out so far had failed to establish the cause of the vessel’s sinking, the lawyer said that certificates and classification approval documents issued by Türk Loydu had been submitted to police at the very beginning of the investigation but had not been examined.

The defence lawyer stated that a report identifying the cause of the accident that led to the vessel’s sinking existed, but had also not been examined. The lawyer argued that all seafarers held the required seafarer certificates, which could be approved by the Ministry, and maintained that the crew members were qualified to perform their duties.

DEFENCE LAWYER CLAIMS PORTS DEPARTMENT INSPECTED THE VESSEL

The defence lawyer also claimed that a representative of the Ports Department had inspected the vessel on June 27.

Stating that the inspection had taken place following the repair work alleged to have caused the vessel to sink, the lawyer argued that the identified deficiency had been reported and subsequently rectified.

DEFENCE LAWYER: VDR WAS OPERATIONAL ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT

Referring to the VDR recordings, the defence lawyer said that any data malfunction could be identified by comparing it with the VDR records.

Claiming that the VDR had been operational on August 30, the lawyer said the second officer had confirmed that the device was working and had informed all crew members accordingly.

Following the statements made by both sides, the court ordered that the suspects remain in custody for a further seven days as part of the investigation into the Filo Jet disaster.