Ankara in talks with Mogadishu on traffic accident involving son of Somali president, Turkish minister says

By Ismet Karakas

The Turkish justice minister said Thursday that a meeting was held with Somali authorities regarding a fatal accident involving the son of the Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and a motorcyclist in Istanbul.

"In the coming days, the defendant will come to Türkiye and participate in the trial process," Yilmaz Tunc told reporters in Ankara. "Our priority is our citizen. It is our duty to protect the rights and legal interests of our deceased citizen and to take care of the remaining ones.”

A release decision was made according to an initial report on the accident, but in a follow-up report, based on images that emerged after the accident, it was determined that the driver of a car in the accident was at fault, Tunc noted.

He said due to the contradiction between the reports, the file was sent to the Forensic Medicine Institute.

"We will never allow any of our citizens to lose their rights and legal interests in favor of a foreigner. We will follow the incident to the end. We will work for justice to prevail," said Tunc.

“I personally spoke with the Somali justice minister. The Somalian side also approached the matter with goodwill,” he said. "Hopefully, the trial process will start in the near future. Of course, within the framework of the report that will come from Forensic Medicine. The judgment is of course in the hands of our judiciary.”

- Accident

Earlier this month, a Turkish court issued an arrest warrant for M.H.S.M. due to his alleged involvement in a collision on Nov. 30 that resulted in the death of motorcycle courier Yunus Emre Gocer.

The accident occurred in the European district of Fatih near an exit from the Eurasia Tunnel, which connects to the city's Asian side.

M.H.S.M., who was detained and subsequently released as part of a preliminary investigation, is said to have left the country on Dec. 2, despite a travel ban by Turkish authorities.

An expert report requested by the prosecution indicated that the driver of the vehicle was "primarily at fault."

The suspect said in the report that the motorcyclist hit the brakes suddenly before making a right turn without signaling. He claimed to have applied the brakes but could not stop in time, resulting in a collision with the motorcycle.