Ruined due to false claim
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Demet Bilge Ergün - Radikal
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 30, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - A man who lost his freedom, livelihood, fortune and family due to a wrongful conviction died late last week, survived only by his pending compensation claim. He spent his last days living in a café and was buried in a cemetery reserved for people with no family.
Fuat Necdet Özerdil was taken to hospital Monday after he fell ill while sitting at a café in Istanbul’s Kadiköy’s district. He died soon after at the age of 63 from lung cancer. His body waited at the morgue for two days before it was buried. Only his lawyer, Cesim Parlak, an imam and workers at the cemetery were present.
Until 1997, Özerdil was known as one of the most respected contractors and realtors in Istanbul. His first marriage was to the daughter of a minister. He had a daughter from his second marriage.
Late one night in March 1997, he answered his door and saw an office boy who worked for him severely injured. His first reaction was to take the boy to the hospital, from where he called the police. It was later discovered that the office boy was involved in a scuffle and killed a man.
The police immediately detained Özerdil for aiding with the murder. Throughout the four days of questioning and the following trial, Özerdil rejected all pressure to admit he was involved in the crime. He dismissed his lawyer’s suggestion that he could expect leniency if he admitted complicity. He constantly told his family that it was all a huge misunderstanding.
The court arrested him pending the trial and then in 2000, he was found guilty and sentenced to 16 years and eight months in prison. During the trial he distanced himself from his family in order to spare them any heartache. Meanwhile, his partners were selling his properties, with his fortune constantly decreasing.
He was released after the Supreme Court of Appeals decided his involvement was not proven and a not-guilty verdict was handed down. He had already spent four years in jail. He and his lawyer Parlak decided to file a compensation claim worth 1 million Turkish liras for wrongful arrest. While waiting for the court to hear his case, he told his friend he had lost the passion to work. He had nowhere to live until a café in Kadiköy started to let him sleep there. Whenever he told his story, people around him said, "You shouldn’t have taken the boy to hospital." His response was, "My options were to shut the door on his face or take him to the hospital. He was injured. I chose the second option and if it happened today, I would do the same."
Until 1997, Özerdil was known as one of the most respected contractors and realtors in Istanbul. His first marriage was to the daughter of a minister. He had a daughter from his second marriage.
Late one night in March 1997, he answered his door and saw an office boy who worked for him severely injured. His first reaction was to take the boy to the hospital, from where he called the police. It was later discovered that the office boy was involved in a scuffle and killed a man.
The police immediately detained Özerdil for aiding with the murder. Throughout the four days of questioning and the following trial, Özerdil rejected all pressure to admit he was involved in the crime. He dismissed his lawyer’s suggestion that he could expect leniency if he admitted complicity. He constantly told his family that it was all a huge misunderstanding.
The court arrested him pending the trial and then in 2000, he was found guilty and sentenced to 16 years and eight months in prison. During the trial he distanced himself from his family in order to spare them any heartache. Meanwhile, his partners were selling his properties, with his fortune constantly decreasing.
He was released after the Supreme Court of Appeals decided his involvement was not proven and a not-guilty verdict was handed down. He had already spent four years in jail. He and his lawyer Parlak decided to file a compensation claim worth 1 million Turkish liras for wrongful arrest. While waiting for the court to hear his case, he told his friend he had lost the passion to work. He had nowhere to live until a café in Kadiköy started to let him sleep there. Whenever he told his story, people around him said, "You shouldn’t have taken the boy to hospital." His response was, "My options were to shut the door on his face or take him to the hospital. He was injured. I chose the second option and if it happened today, I would do the same."