A Turkish court has ordered the arrest of six suspects as part of an investigation into a fire that started at a construction site for a shopping center in İstanbul's Esenyurt district, Today's Zaman reported.
Eleven suspects were detained and interrogated by public prosecutor Cetin Sozer Dogan earlier on Wednesday and then referred to the court for arrest. The 1st İstanbul Criminal Court of Peace decided late on Wednesday to arrest six of the suspects and release the other five.
The court ordered the arrest of the owner of the construction company Abdullah Altun and construction site foreman Erdal Gumus, along with Cem Yıllar, Saban Bakırcı, Hikmet Tezcan and Kadir Altun.
It was discovered on Wednesday that the construction company, Kaldem A.S., that employed the 11 men that died in the fire had applied for health coverage for the deceased workers immediately after their deaths in order to avoid paying a fine and compensation for failing to provide them with insurance.
The company learned of the workers' deaths at 9:30 p.m. on Sunday and applied to the Social Security Institution (SGK) at 10:40 p.m. on the same day to provide the men with health coverage. It is not known how SGK allowed the company to secure insurance for 11 deceased men.
The families of the victims retrieved their relatives' remains from the Council of Forensic Medicine (ATK) on Tuesday and Wednesday. The workers were buried in their hometowns on Wednesday.