Quotations from the press

         

 

            VATAN Newspaper                         14 December 2005

   

    THIS IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US AND JAPAN

The boss of the Japanese architect who skimmed off construction materials committed suicide

 

Japan is in an uproar over the admission of an architect in this earthquake-prone country: “We skimmed off construction materials from buildings I designed because of the pressure from the construction companies.  These buildings can not withstand a medium strength earthquake.”

The owner of the architectural company committed suicide out of shame, parliamentarians lept to their feet.  Shares of building companies have dropped on the stock market, a court case has been opened against the architect demanding a 10 year jail sentence.

 

But here in Turkey we have “mass murder” and those responsible are in and out of jail in 3-5 months

          While everyone is up in arms in Japan without even one

           building cracking, in Turkey hundred of people die under

           the rubble of collapsed buildings but the those responsible

           for the corrupt buildings get comical punishments

 

ERSOY APARTMENT

A grave for 36 people, and a mere 3 YTL is to be paid for each life

The Ersoy Apartment collapsed in the 17 August earthquake in Düzce and 36 people were buried under the rubble.  In the following court case constructor Hasan Ersoy, Engineer Tarik Acaroğlu and architect Sedat Duman were sentenced to only 10 months each in prison and 50 YTL.  In other words, they are to pay 3 YTL for each life.  Engineer Tarık Acaroğlu and architect Sedat Duman are now free and continuing their work.

 

ZÜMRÜT APARTMENT

92 people died, the person physically responsible for the corrupt building is released

On 2 February 2004, 92 people died in the Zümrüt Apartment building which collapsed all by itself in Konya.  The person physically responsible for the corrupt building Ali Vedat Kaya was sentenced to 5 years in prison and 440 YTL fine.  He was released after subtracting the 20 months he spend in jail.  The person responsible for the project Halil Elliki was sentenced to 2 years in jail.  The Selçuk Municipality Construction Director Hüseyin Çopur, artıchect  Maide Özdemir and constructıon technıcıan  Zeynel Ünal were sentenced to one year in prison each.

 

AVNİ AKYOL DORMITORY

Collapsed in an earthquake, those responsible got only 10 months

3 students and one dormitory attendant were crushed in the Avni Akyol dormitory which collapsed in the Marmara earthquake.  The building contractor Şaban Yılmaz. architect Nermin Yılmaz, entineer kayhan Özdemir, Municipal Building Director Hayrettin Günal were sentenced to 10 years each in jail and 50 YTL fine. Their jail sentence has been delayed.  All of them are now back at work.  Not only that, but contractor Şaban Yılmaz  is constructing the Düzce Municipality Building which the for which Prime Minister shoveled in the first cement to start the construction.

 

VELİ GÖÇER’İN GROUP OF BUILDINGS

The collapsed summer homes killed 195 people

The majority of deaths in the Marmara earthquake were in the Veli Göçer summer home building site.  Contractor Göçer became a symbol of corrupt construction contractors and he received the stiffest sentence to date.  Göçer, who built the 11 buildings, as summer residences, his son Can and his partner Zafer Coşkun were sentenced to 25 years in prison each.  They received punishments for each building construction permit: 5 years each for 4 blocks and 2.5 years each for 2 blocks.  The court case is continuing.