Court to hear case forgotten on shelf for 45 years

İZMİR

An İzmir court will hear a case that has remained unsolved for 45 years as its file was forgotten on the shelf of the courthouse in 1977.

The land registration case was sent back to the local court by the higher court for the reexamination of the decision in 1977. However, the officials in the courthouse failed to transfer the file during its relocation to another building.

Lawyer Erdoğan Zeren, who brought to light the forgotten file stated that there has been a “temporary” injunction on the immovable property in the case since 1977.

As the parties involved in the case lost their lives over the 45 years, a new legal process will unfold among the heirs.

"In the case before the Menderes Civil Court, we saw that there is an injunction on the property. The court sent a letter regarding whether to lift the injunction. When the relevant court failed to respond to the letter, our clients approached us to expedite the proceedings. After becoming involved in the case and conducting an investigation at the court, we discovered that this file had not been closed," said Zeren, explaining that they requested an examination of the file.

The examination revealed that it had been forgotten on the shelf during the relocation of the courthouse, Zeren said.

Pointing out that the case file is the oldest one at the İzmir Courthouse, Zeren stated that the court proceedings will resume on Feb. 15, 2024.

Expressing his fascination with examining a file dating back to the 1970s, Zeren said, "The decision from the Supreme Court was written with a typewriter, and it's in immaculate condition.”

“There are no marks on it. It's written very neatly, and plain Turkish was used. It's quite intriguing to be looking at a file older than me. Of course, it's also very saddening that my fellow colleagues who initially handled this case have passed away. I would have preferred them to bring closure to this case. Such are the nuances of our profession."