Key facts
- A Turkish court convicted three pest control workers and a hotel owner.
- The convictions relate to the deaths of a German family of four from insecticide poisoning.
- Sentences range from 12 to 18 years in prison.
- The hotel owner was convicted of causing multiple deaths through negligence.
- Traces of the toxic insecticide phosphine gas were found at the hotel.
A Turkish court has convicted three pest control company workers and a hotel owner in connection with the deaths of a German family of four who were poisoned by insecticide while on vacation in Istanbul. The sentences handed down range from 18 years to 12 years in prison.
The hotel owner, Hakan Oglak, was found guilty of causing multiple deaths through negligence and received a sentence of 13 years and four months. The owners of DSS Pest Control, Zeki Kisi and his son Serkan Kisi, were each sentenced to 18 years, while company employee Dogan Cagferoglu received a 12-year sentence.
The Turkish-German Bocek family fell ill in November at the Harbour Suites Old City hotel. After initially complaining of nausea and vomiting, they were hospitalized, and their two young children, 6-year-old Kadir Muhammet and 3-year-old Masal, died first. Their mother, Cigdem, died on November 14, followed by their father, Servet, on November 17.
An inspection at the hotel, which is now closed, revealed traces of the highly toxic insecticide phosphine gas on towels, masks, and swab samples. The case initially raised concerns about hotel safety standards in Turkey.