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Turkish actor Kivanc Tatlitug's lawyer has pushed back against claims surrounding a serious workplace accident at the actor's home in Istanbul, after a Turkmenistan national who had been brought in for cleaning work fell from the roof and was taken into intensive care.
Bahadur Yangibayev was seriously injured in the Aug. 31 incident at Tatlitug's property in Gokturk, a residential area on Istanbul's European side. The accident later led to a legal dispute involving the contractor responsible for renovation work at the property.
According to the reports, A.A., the owner of the company carrying out renovation work, was taken into custody after the incident. He told authorities that Yangibayev was not his employee and that he had not instructed him to go onto the roof.
A.A. was later released under judicial control, a Turkish legal measure that allows a suspect to remain free while being subject to court-imposed restrictions during an investigation.
The case took another turn after A.A. claimed that, while he was at the police station, a lawyer he identified as representing Tatlitug visited him and had him sign a three-page agreement.
A.A. alleged that he had only seen wording referring to "painting and renovation" on the first page and later came to believe that the document had been backdated in an attempt to place responsibility for the accident on him.
His lawyer, Fatma Uluca Telli, subsequently filed a criminal complaint against Tatlitug and lawyer I.A., according to the reports. The complaint also requested that the original agreement be examined and alleged that A.A.'s free will had been impaired when the document was signed.
A separate request was reportedly submitted to the Istanbul Bar Association seeking disciplinary proceedings against I.A. over allegations that he had misused his professional position.
Following the allegations, Ates Law Office issued a statement on behalf of Tatlitug, saying the renovation and construction work at the property had been carried out by a Gokturk-based company while the actor and his family were out of town.
The statement said the company representative had brought a daily-paid worker into the work area on the fourth day of the project without Tatlitug's or his employees' knowledge, permission or approval, adding that the contractor had also acknowledged this in his police statement.
Tatlitug's lawyers also said no investigation had been opened against the actor under the law in connection with the incident.
They added that Tatlitug had contacted the injured worker's family from the first day of the accident and had been covering hospital, care and treatment costs as well as supporting the needs of his relatives.
The law office said the contractor, identified as Atilla A., had been released under judicial control and that the legal process was being followed closely.
It also said legal action would be taken against those considered responsible for the incident.
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