Turkish court convicts Somalia president's son over motorcyclist's death, commutes sentence to fine

ISTANBUL (AP) — A Turkish court on Tuesday convicted the son of Somalia’s president over the death of a motorcycle courier and sentenced him to 2 1/2 years in prison. The sentence, however, was immediately commuted to a fine.

Mohammed Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was charged with “causing death by negligence” after a diplomatic car he was driving hit Yunus Emre Gocer on a highway in Istanbul on Nov. 30. An arrest warrant was issued for Mohamud after Gocer died six days later, but the president’s son had already left Turkey.

Mohamud reportedly returned last week to testify. The arrest warrant and a travel ban imposed against him were revoked after he gave a statement to court officials, and he was then released, the DHA news agency reported.

The Istanbul court convicted Mohamud, who was not present, and ruled that he be fined 27,300 Turkish lira ($910). His driver’s license was revoked for six months.

Prosecutors had requested that Mohamud be sentenced to up to six years in prison.

Gocer's father planned to appeal the decision to commute the sentence, his lawyer Tugba Aydin told reporters.

An association fighting for the rights of motorized couriers also criticized the ruling.

The life of a motorcycle courier cannot be worth 27,000 Turkish lira when the other side is 75% at fault," said Mesut Ceki of the Courier Rights Association. “So what happened? Is this justice?”

The motorcyclist’s death had threatened to sour friendly relations between Turkey and Somalia. Turkey launched an investigation into officials who conducted the initial crash probe and reportedly allowed Mohamud to go free.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told The Associated Press last month that his 40-year-old son, who is a doctor, did not flee Turkey and said he had advised him to present himself to court.

“Turkey is a brotherly country,” the president said. “We respect the laws and the justice and the judicial system. As a president of Somalia, I will never allow anybody to violate this country’s judicial system.”

Turkish authorities have built close ties with Somalia since 2011, when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — then prime minister — visited the East African nation. Turkey has since provided humanitarian aid, built infrastructure and opened a military base in Somalia where it has trained officers and police.

In Mogadishu, Omar Abdi Jimale, a doctoral student in political science and public administration, said the incident had strained “brotherly relations” between the countries.

“Justice must prevail for all victims, regardless of the perpetrator’s status,” Jimale said. “Holding the president’s son accountable will bring solace to the victim’s family and hopefully mend the rift caused by the incident.”

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Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Omar Faruk, in Mogadishu, Somalia contributed.