Nine out of the 13 defendants on trial for the train accident in the Çorlu district of Tekirdağ, where 25 people lost their lives and 340 people were injured, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from eight years and four months to 17 years and six months. The 20th hearing of the trial, held at the Halk Eğitim Merkezi Salonu by the Çorlu 1st Heavy Penal Court, took place.
The trial was attended by the defendants who were not in custody, including Özkan Polat, the former Çerkezköy road maintenance and repair chief; Çetin Yıldırım, the bridges supervisor; Turgut Kurt, the former railway maintenance director; Celaleddin Çabuk, a track maintenance repair officer, Levent Kaytan, the deputy director of infrastructure from the 1st Region Maintenance Service of the TCDD; Nizamettin Aras, the former deputy director of infrastructure from the 1st Region Maintenance Service, and Burhan Ortancıl, a track controller. Also in attendance were Mümin Karasu, the former maintenance service director; Levent Meriçli, the former deputy director responsible for maintenance service areas; Nihat Aslan, the former first region director of the TCDD, as well as engineers Tevfik Baran Önder, Deniz Parlak and Kubilay Başkaya. Relatives of the deceased and injured in the accident and the attorneys of the parties involved were also present in the courtroom. The trial began with the reading of the documents presented to the court.
Subsequently, the defendants were asked for their final words before the verdict. Defendant Karasu claimed that he was being punished for performing his duty by issuing warnings and conducting inspections regarding the railway line from Halkalı to Kapıkule.
"I fulfilled my duty. I request my acquittal," he said.
The other defendants also claimed their innocence and requested acquittals.
The court, after a short recess, announced its verdict, sentencing Karasu to 17 years and six months, Kurt to 16 years and three months, Aslan to 15 years, Polat to 13 years and nine months, Önder to 10 years, Meriçli, Parlak and Başkaya to nine years and two months each and Aras to eight years and four months in prison for "causing the death of multiple persons and causing injuries through negligence." The court acquitted Kaytan, Ortancıl, Yıldırım and Çabuk. The court also ordered the arrest of Aslan, Karasu, Kurt and Polat along with the verdict.
On July 8, 2018, a passenger train traveling from Uzunköprü to Istanbul derailed near Çorlu, resulting in the loss of 25 lives and injuries to 340 people. The indictment in the case had requested prison sentences ranging from two to 15 years for the defendants Turgut Kurt, Özkan Polat, Çetin Yıldırım and Celaleddin Çabuk for "causing the death of multiple persons and causing injuries through negligence," citing their primary culpability in the accident.
Following expert reports and evaluations by the Çorlu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, an investigation extension was granted on Sept. 9, 2022. This extension led to the trial at the Çorlu Heavy Penal Court against Nihat Aslan, Levent Meriçli, Mümin Karasu, Levent Kaytan, Nizamettin Aras, Burhan Ortancıl, Tevfik Baran Önder, Deniz Parlak and Kubilay Başkaya for the same offense.
Mümin Karasu, who was the maintenance service director at TCDD's 1st Region Directorate during the period in question, was arrested on Oct. 10, 2022. He was released on Nov. 25, 2022, with a travel ban imposed by the Çorlu 2nd Heavy Penal Court following an objection to his detention.
During the 17th hearing of the trial, the public prosecutor's final opinion requested the imprisonment of all 13 defendants for "causing the death of multiple persons and causing injuries through negligence," considering that the judicial control measures would be insufficient due to the nature and gravity of the crime charged, the existing evidence and the potential penalty for the alleged offense.
