A court is set to convene on Jan. 6 for the fifth hearing in the criminal case regarding a 2024 landslide at a gold mine that killed nine workers in the eastern city of Erzincan's İliç district.
The hearing follows the addition of a critical expert report to the case file. The report alleges that Anagold Mining failed to test safety factors under adverse conditions, such as excessive rainfall or drainage blockages, at its facility.
According to the 69-page indictment, 43 defendants face charges of "causing death and injury through negligence" and "negligently polluting the environment." Prosecutors are seeking prison sentences of two to 15 years for the accused.
The latest expert findings point to "gross negligence" by high-ranking officials, including deputy head of operations Ronald Guille and senior geotechnical engineer Ali Rıza Kalender. The report concludes that the disaster in February 2024 was a preventable occupational accident caused by design flaws and inadequate project management.
Investigators found that environmental limit values were exceeded, leading to the pollution of the surrounding area. Canadian executives at the firm face potential fines and up to one year in prison if the disaster is found to have left lasting effects on the soil, water or air.
At the previous hearing, the court ordered the continued detention of three defendants, including Guille and Kalender. Two others, Ömer Ardıç and Shaun Swartz, were released under judicial supervision pending trial.
Prosecutors have also requested new investigations into additional individuals identified as culpable in the most recent expert report.
