Turkish court fines Somali president’s son over fatal car crash

Turkish court fines Somali president’s son over fatal car crash

The son of Somalia’s president was sentenced by a Turkish court on Tuesday to 2-1/2 years in prison for causing death by negligence, which was converted into a fine of 27,300 Turkish lira ($900), state media reported.

Mohamed Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud was driving a car carrying a diplomatic licence plate on Nov. 30 when he hit a motorcycle courier in central Istanbul, seriously injuring him.

He had left the country on Dec. 2, following a police interrogation. An arrest warrant was issued for him after the courier died in hospital on Dec. 6.

Mahmoud was tried in absentia in Istanbul on Tuesday, having been back to Turkey to appear before the court last week. He had denied negligence, saying the motorbike had stopped suddenly and he could not avoid the collision.

The court decided that this amount would be paid in 10 equal installments and also suspended Mohamud’s driver’s license for six months.

While Metin Göçer’s lawyer, the father of the deceased Yunus Emre Göçer, stated that they would appeal the decision, Mesut Çeki, the head of the Courier Rights Association who followed the trial along with Göçer’s colleagues, criticized the court for its ruling.

“It cannot be acceptable for a person’s life, when the other party is 75 percent at fault, to be valued at 27,000 liras,” he said.