The former mayor of the Yuregir district in the Turkish province of Adana, Mustafa Kılıç, has been sentenced to 70 years in prison and a fine of 601,000 Turkish liras (approximately 26,800 leva) for fraud with compensation intended for victims of the devastating earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş. The news was reported by Haberturk TV, BTA reports.
According to prosecutors, Kılıç diverted over 50 million Turkish liras (about 2.2 million leva), repeatedly transferring amounts of the funds for the victims directly to his own bank account.
His advisor Özgür Akgul was also convicted, receiving a sentence of 50 years and 10 months in prison, as well as a fine of 408,000 Turkish liras (nearly 18,200 leva).
The earthquakes to which the frauds are related shook Turkey on February 6, 2023. The first quake - with a magnitude of 7.7 - hit the town of Pazardzhik in the Kahramanmaraş district at 4:17 a.m. local time. Two more strong quakes followed: at 4:36 a.m. - with a magnitude of 6.4 in the city of Islahiye, Gaziantep district, and at 1:24 p.m. - with a magnitude of 7.6 in the city of Elbistan, also in the Kahramanmaraş district.
The destruction affected an area of 120,000 sq. km - larger than that of Bulgaria. Over 14 million people were affected, and the worst affected were 11 districts in the southeastern part of the country: Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Adıyaman, Osmaniye, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Malatya, Diyarbakir, Adana, Kilis and Elazig. Seven other districts were less affected, including Sivas, Bingol and Kayseri.
Thousands of volunteers and professionals from all over the world, including teams from Bulgaria, took part in the rescue operations.