Mayor involved in shoddy constructions arrested

KAHRAMANMARAŞ

The mayor of the southeastern province of Gaziantep’s Nurdağı district has been detained within the scope of the investigations into the collapsed buildings hit by the Kahramanmaraş-centered quakes.

Ökkeş Kavak was referred to the judge on duty, following which he was arrested and sent to prison.

Yunus Kaya, the contractor of many buildings in Nurdağı where dozens of people lost their lives, a member of the Nurdağı municipal council, and a member of the zoning commission, was arrested in Mersin on Feb. 23.

It has been determined that Kaya had joint projects with the construction company owned by the brother of Ökkeş Kavak.

Ökkeş Kavak was detained within the scope of the investigation conducted by the İslahiye Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to get his statement.

Ökkeş Kavak was alleged to have been in partnership with Kaya and to have failed to carry out the inspections required by the municipality during the construction phase of many buildings.

He said in his first statement that he had lost many relatives in the earthquake disaster and that he used to be a contractor himself but he had handed the company over to his brother Osman Kavak after becoming the mayor of Nurdağı.

Ökkeş Kavak was referred to the judge on duty with the demand for his arrest after his interrogation at the prosecutor’s office.

He was arrested at İslahiye Courthouse and sent to prison.

So far, 22 people have been arrested, while 80 arrest warrants have been issued for people who were detained in several investigations carried out in Gaziantep over the collapsed buildings.