A contractor and another defendant overseeing construction were sentenced to 12 years and 6 months in prison on Tuesday by a Turkish court for casualties during the 2020 earthquake in the western province of Izmir.
It is the first trial to conclude over the disaster where contractors were accused of negligent construction that contributed to deaths. Defendants on the dock at a court in Izmir on Tuesday were charged with causing the deaths of 11 people at the Yağcıoğlu apartment building in Izmir. Seven others were injured when the building collapsed during the major earthquake, the worst to hit the province in decades.
An indictment against defendants, including 71-year-old contractor Ş.A. and 80-year-old construction inspector O.A. (identified only by their initials), who were arrested following the earthquake gave a long list of negligence in the construction of the building. Prosecutors have cited the inadequate use of materials needed to protect the building against such earthquakes as well as faults in the application of designs and lack of inspection among the causes of the deadly collapse. They had asked for more than 22 years in prison for both defendants. O.A. was released pending trial earlier due to his old age.
Ş.A. pleaded not guilty to charges in the final hearing and claimed the collapse might have been the result of “intervention” to the building long after it was constructed. He had blamed the owner and building supervisor for not reporting illegal additions to the building.
