Swiss consul’s wife faces 4.5 years in jail on reckless injury charges

ISTANBUL – Doğan News Agency

Andrea Köppel was barred from leaving Turkey and required to sign in at a police station weekly. DHA photo

Istanbul prosecutors have demanded up to 4.5 years in jail for the wife of the Swiss consul to Istanbul for alleged involvement in a hit-and-run that injured two people in February.

The prosecutor charged Andrea Köppel with “reckless injury,” demanding on April 10 between one year and one month and four-and-a-half years in prison. Köppel’s blood alcohol content was allegedly above the legal limit of 0.05 percent, according to a breathalyzer test conducted five hours after the incident, the indictment stated. Police have also procured the video footages of the accident, the prosecutors added.  

Köppel was driving a Swiss consular car when she hit a married couple riding a motorcycle in Istanbul’s Bebek neighborhood.   
 
Filiz İnal was badly wounded while her husband, Doğan Durmuş İnal, suffered minor injuries. Köppel has previously denied accusations of fleeing the scene, although witness accounts stated otherwise. She was barred from leaving Turkey and required to sign in at a police station weekly following the accident.

Swiss Consul General Monika Schmutz Kırgöz told the Hürriyet Daily News that Köppel would not claim diplomatic immunity and would cooperate with Turkish authorities until the investigation is concluded. The suspect will also appear in person if required to stand trial over the incident, Schmutz Kırgöz added.