Prison sentence for Somali president's son converted into fine

By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) – After being sentenced to jail time over hitting a motorcycle courier in Istanbul, the son of Somalia’s president on Tuesday saw the sentence commuted into a fine equivalent to just over $900.

Mohamed Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had been sentenced to 30 months in prison for vehicular manslaughter, but a Turkish court converted the jail time into a fine of 27,300 liras ($906).

Driving in Istanbul's Fatih district last November, Mohamud crashed into motorcycle courier Yunus Emre Gocer, who died from the accident.

Announcing its decision at the Istanbul Criminal Court of First Instance no. 33, the court initially sentenced Mohamud to three years in prison for the crime of "causing death by negligence."

Taking into account the defendant's past, social relations, behavior after the act and after the trial, and the possible impact of the sentence on the perpetrator, the court reduced the sentence to 2 1/2 years by applying a reduction in line with Article 62 of the Turkish Penal Code.

The court later ruled that the prison sentence be converted into a judicial fine of 27,300 Turkish liras, taking into account the defendant's character, social and economic situation, and the remorse he felt.