Assault case appeal

BUSINESSMAN and former TV presenter Bulut Akacan was the victim, not the perpetrator, of an assault in a Girne restaurant which led to him being jailed for two years, a court heard this week.

Mr Akacan was appealing against his conviction before the Higher Administrative Court in Lefkoşa. He and his bodyguards were found guilty of assault charges involving a brawl on January 7, 2019. The victims were said to be Erhan Başay and Zeki Asımoğlu, who was seriously injured

Advocate Mustafa Asena told the court that “security camera footage had shown that the Erhan Başay was the first to hit Mr Akacan,”

And lawyer Kıvanç Rıza said that the person who had displayed hostility was “not Akacan, but Erhan Başay.” “To state that Mr Akacan was the instigator does not fit logic or law,” and he claimed that the court had “made a mistake in finding Mr Akacan guilty of all the cases”

He also claimed that the “imprisonment term was extortionate” and “was not in harmony compared to other precedents for similar cases”.

Acting for the attorney general’s office, Emine Taşkın said that Mr Akacan “was indeed the instigator,” adding that the court had heard 16 witnesses, and considered 20 pieces of evidence .

“Contrary to what has been stated by the defence lawyer, Mr Akacan was first to hit Erhan Başay to the ground”.

Taşkın added that “suspect Mr Akacan had attacked with such violence that he fell to the ground. Three other suspects also assaulted Erhan Başay,” she added.

“Both bodyguards were acting in accordance with the instructions given by Mr Akacan. There was no mistake in the verdict of the court,” she said.

She said that complainant Zeki Asımoğlu has been injured permanently . He was saved from death because of “timely medical intervention at the scene.”

In a separate case, Bulut Akacan is also charged with illegal cyber betting. He was refused bail with a date set for August 12 for that case.