TRNC Bar Association calls for an investigation into the responsibility of authorities for the crash off Girne

The Turkish Cypriot Bar Association said that the investigation into the crash of the Filo Jet catamaran off Girne should not be limited to the vessel owner, captain and crew: it must also examine how state authorities carried out their duties in issuing permits, conducting oversight and ensuring safety at sea.

The vessel sank off Girne on 30 August, killing eight people, while another 20 people remain missing. Nine people have already been arrested in connection with the case, while Transport Minister Erhan Arıklı has faced calls to resign from the opposition and youth organisations.

The association is demanding the immediate preservation of all technical records related to the vessel, licensing documents, inspection materials and correspondence between authorities.

A separate part of the statement concerns the independence of the investigation. In the association’s view, administrative shortcomings should be examined separately from the bodies whose own actions are under scrutiny. The organisation insists on mechanisms that would prevent the authorities being investigated from influencing the scope of the investigation, the gathering of evidence and the conclusions, and allows for the temporary suspension of the powers of political and administrative bodies subject to scrutiny. The association believes that both criminal and administrative-political responsibility must be established.

In support of its demands, the association cites the International Maritime Organization’s Code for the Investigation of Marine Casualties and Incidents, MSC.255(84), European Union Directive 2009/18/EC on the investigation of accidents in the maritime transport sector, and OECD recommendations on managing conflicts of interest in the public service, as well as the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union on the need for institutional separation between investigating bodies and those being investigated.