Somali president’s son fined 27,300 liras over deadly accident

ISTANBUL

The son of the Somali president, who caused the death of a motorbike courier he hit in Istanbul, has received a fine of 27,300 Turkish Liras ($906), as the court commuted the prison sentence to a fine.

In the first trial held on Jan. 16 in Istanbul for Mohammed Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who killed motorbike courier Yunus Emre Göçer in a traffic accident at the end of November last year and was found to be primarily at fault in the investigations, the prosecutor requested a sentence of two to six years in prison for causing death by negligence.

However, the court, which initially sentenced him to three years in prison, reduced the sentence to two years and six months with a discretionary reduction.

Taking into account "the personality of the defendant, his social and economic status, remorse expressed during the trial, and the specific circumstances of the crime," the court converted the prison sentence into a fine of 27,300 liras, as reported by the local media.

The court decided that this amount would be paid in 10 equal installments and also suspended Mohamud's driver's license for six months.

While Metin Göçer's lawyer, the father of Yunus Emre Göçer, stated that they would appeal the decision, Mesut Çeki, the head of the Courier Rights Association who followed the trial along with Göçer's colleagues, criticized the court for its ruling.

"It cannot be acceptable for a person’s life, when the other party is 75 percent at fault, to be valued at 27,000 liras," he said.

Reminding that 68 motorbike couriers died in traffic accidents last year, he stated, "So someone will be 75 percent responsible for my death but will get away with paying 27,000 liras. They won't spend a single day in prison," he added.

Mohamud was brought to court following his arrival in Türkiye on Jan. 12, four days before the trial. In his statement, the defendant mentioned that the motorcycle suddenly appeared in front of him, and he couldn't prevent the collision. Following his statement, the arrest warrant was lifted, the travel ban was revoked, and he was released pending trial.