Court Issues Interim Ruling in Case Against Officials Linked to İsias Hotel Collapse

An interim ruling has been issued by the Third High Criminal Court in Adıyaman in the case involving public officials accused of negligence in the collapse of the Grand İsias Hotel during the deadly earthquake in Turkey on February 6, 2023. The next hearing is scheduled for July 16, 2025.

At the latest hearing, the court rejected requests to place the defendants under arrest. Instead, it ruled that they will remain under judicial supervision while the trial continues.

A motion to open a criminal case against the former mayor and summon him as a witness was also denied. The court further rejected a request to merge this case with another related trial currently under appeal, stating that it cannot proceed while the appeal is still ongoing.

The case has been adjourned until July 16 to allow time for an expert report from Dokuz Eylül University. The report is expected to shed light on the extent of responsibility held by the officials involved.

Among the defendants are former Deputy Mayor Osman Bulut, who was in charge of supervising the project and issuing the construction permit; Bilal Balcı, Head of the Permits Department; Mehmet Salih Alkayış, Planning and Zoning Manager; permanent staff member Abdurrahman Karaaslan; Zoning Manager Yusuf Gül; and Permits Department technician Fazlı Karakuş.

The first hearing in the Grand İsias Hotel case — which resulted in the deaths of 72 people, including 35 Turkish Cypriots — was held in January last year. The proceedings have been ongoing for nearly a year. At a session held on December 25, 2024, six defendants were found guilty of causing death and injury through negligence, while five others were acquitted.