Rezan Epözdemir, lawyer for the family of Münevver Karabulut, has filed a petition with the Bakırköy 6th High Criminal Court, which is hearing the case against alleged murderer Cem Garipoğlu’s uncle, Hayyam Garipoğlu, and mother, Tülay Makbule Garipoğlu. The petition says that there is no apparent logic in the reasoning that has led to the current situation where other defendants in the case are imprisoned during the legal process while the two Garipoğlu’s are free pending trial.Recalling that the most important reason for taking suspects into custody is to avoid the obscuring, tampering or destruction of evidence, Epözdemir asks in the petition: “Is [detained defendant] chauffeur Ahmet Batur more responsible in the destruction, obscuring and tampering of evidence, or is his employer Hayyam Garipoğlu, with his social connections, economic situation and influence over companies, more responsible?”
The petition also asked that the alleged killer’s mother, who returned to Turkey this week after 13 months abroad to testify in yesterday’s hearing, be arrested, noting that she “went to the murder scene immediately following the killing, at 7 p.m., and was instrumental in intervening there, hiding and tampering with evidence, cleaning blood off the floor and hiding knives.”
Observers and members of the public have criticized the way the investigation into the murder was conducted following the discovery of the body, with many questioning whether the well-connected, wealthy Garipoğlu family was receiving special treatment.
Noting the mounds of contradictory evidence and unclear spots with regard to how the murder took place, Epözdemir also requested that the court organize a full re-enactment of the crime in order to shed light on the details.
The Council of Forensic Medicine’s (ATK) Observation Specialization Unit recently determined that Cem Garipoğlu is competent to face prosecution.
