SeatradeMaritime: Turkish court upholds 30-year sentences on Phoenician M seafarers

The Supreme Court in Ankara has voted, by a margin of three to two, to uphold the convictions of two crew of the bulker Phoenician M for negligence, which carried 30-year sentences.

The decision appears to be perverse as the Turkish authorities released the Captain in August 2025, allegedly in suspicious circumstances, at night with no release papers or passport, ahead of the court’s decision. While the Chief Officer, convicted of the same allegations, remains in prison.

Ali Albokhari’s wife, Elena, has campaigned for her husband’s conviction to be overturned said she was “devastated” by the Supreme Court’s decision which she learned today.

“I don’t know what to say about the court anymore. I just wish that someone would finally explain what exactly my husband is accused of and what he is supposedly guilty of. Even now, the documents still do not clearly state what his fault is,” said Elena.

She added: “Once again, the documents say that nothing has been found against him, yet he still must be sentenced. I simply want someone to explain to me what is happening. What am I supposed to say to his mother, who asks me every day: ‘What is my son guilty of?’”

Ali and Elena Albokhari are both Finnish nationals and are resident in Finland, however, the Finnish Foreign Office has been unable to understand the Turkish court’s decision-making process.

A spokesperson from Finland’s foreign office told Seatrade Maritime News: “We also received the news today. We are in touch now with Albokhari’s spouse directly to assess the situation. We are regularly in contact with Turkish Authorities about this case.”

In an earlier response the Foreign Office admitted that it had not had clarification over the conviction and details of the case brought against Albokhari and Capt Bekavac.

“Despite our frequent requests since August, we haven’t received a response from Turkish authorities of the reasons of Chief Mate Albokhari’s continued imprisonment. We follow up this matter and pursue with our requests,” said the Foreign Office spokesperson.

Meanwhile, the maritime industry may well have to reassess the situation regarding seafarers arrested in Turkey, with at least two other crew having been arrested over the last year.

The court must explain the anomaly around the release of the Captain and the continued incarceration of the chief mate. Legitimate questions were asked following allegations made in the Croatian press, that the Captain had been swapped for a relative of the Turkish President Erdogan. 

Russian authorities had allegedly put out a request for the arrest of the Chairman and CEO of the Zeren Group, Mustafa Yiğit Zeren, who was arrested in Croatia. The Croatian publication, Teleskop reported that the release of both Capt Bekavac and Zeren was shrouded in mystery.

“Minister Radman came forward with a dry statement in which he praised his diplomacy, and they tried to satisfy journalistic curiosity with statements from Bekavca’s lawyer and brother. Something similar happened when, just three days earlier, the 33-year-old Mustafa Yiğit Zeren, who was recently arrested in Croatia, was leaving our country after being acquitted by the Croatian court,” reported Teleskop in August last year.