Parliament panel to summon Soma mine’s owner

ANKARA

Ali Rıza Alaboyun, Ankara deputy of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), is chairing the investigation commission. AA Photo

A parliamentary panel tasked with investigating the Soma mine disaster will summon the mine’s owner as well as the managers of the mine, the head of the panel has said.

“We have three steps to be taken. One, we will visit those who are under arrest, ask their views and pose questions in line with what we heard from the miners. Two, we will listen to the miners who were at the scene when the accident happened and those who joined rescue efforts. Finally, we will also descend into the mine ourselves,” Ali Rıza Alaboyun, Ankara deputy of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) who is chairing the investigation commission, told state-run Anadolu Agency on Sept. 10.

“There is no tendency such as ‘Let’s not listen to Alp Bey.’ Speculations are being made on this issue, but he will be summoned,” Alaboyun added, referring to Alp Gürkan, the owner of Soma Holding, the company operating the mine where 301 workers were killed on May 13.

The disaster sparked national outrage at apparent negligence, and also triggered an investigation into the operating company, whose officials deny any wrongdoing. The company’s chairman, Can Gürkan, and general manager, Ramazan Doğru, are still under arrest, along with several other officials. The owner, Alp Gürkan, is being investigated on charges of fraud in a separate case.

“If the entire picture of the incident does not emerge, if we aren’t able to say ‘It happened because of this reason,’ then we will not be able to produce a solution,” Alaboyun said, pledging a full and detailed report at the end of the commission’s work.