The trial over the death of Manisa Mayor Ferdi Zeyrek, who was fatally electrocuted at his home in June, began on Dec. 5 with 10 defendants appearing before the high criminal court in the western city, two of them in pre-trial detention.
The mayor died on June 9 after receiving an electric shock in his home swimming pool's machine room.
Prosecutors charge the defendants with “causing death and injury by negligence” in relation to the incident that killed Zeyrek and injured his wife, Nurcan Zeyrek.
They ultimately prepared an indictment against 10 people, including electricians, maintenance staff, engineers from a building inspection firm and a contractor associated with the property.
Two defendants are currently in custody: N.B., who installed the pool’s electrical and motor systems, and H.İ., who repaired the pool motor.
All the defendants face between two and 15 years in prison.
Ferdi Zeyrek’s family attended the opening hearing as complainants.
According to local media reports, the detained defendants denied wrongdoing and argued that any faults stemmed from work carried out after their involvement.
The mayor’s death prompted a wide-ranging investigation.
Early technical assessments found installation flaws in the pool motor and identified potential negligence by those responsible for its assembly.
A five-member academic committee from Istanbul Technical University later produced a detailed expert report, completed on Sept. 25. The report concluded that the pool’s energy room had been built below required standards and that the motor and electrical components were installed incorrectly, finding N.B. and H.İ. primarily at fault.
