JEDDAH — The Summary Court trying 14 defendants accused of involvement in the crane crash of September 2015 has allowed the defendants to absent themselves from attending its sessions beginning Thursday but said they should come to the court whenever they are subpoenaed. The giant crane fell on the walls of the Grand Mosque killing 110 people and injuring 260 others. Judge in the case, Abdulaziz Al-Tuwairqi, said the lawyers and other representatives with power of attorney could attend the court sessions on behalf of the defendants. He, however, made it clear than the travel ban on all the defendants is still holding until the end of the trial. The court has questioned the defendants and listened to their defenses as a prelude to formulate a comprehensive legal framework for the case. Court sources said three of the defendants, who are members of a technical committee of Umm Al-Qura University, presented a detailed report in which they denied the accusations against them of negligence and violation of the safety rules of constructions. They said, under an engineering consultancy contract signed with the Binalden group, their role was only advisory on the mataf (circumambulation area) expansion project. They said they had no role in the execution of the project so they could not be responsible for any mistake or shortcomings. The technical committee of the Ministry of Education also said they had no hand in implementation as its role was only to give advice. Saleh Misfir Al-Ghamdi, the lawyer representing the university, said the committee would only give opinion and technical advice without interfering in the execution procedures. The Binladen group also submitted a 27-page report clearing itself of any responsibility in the fall of the crane. The group said it was following to the letter the safety procedures during the operation of the giant crane. The sources said the judge decided to add the report to the documents of the case for consideration. The sources expected more defendants to be called and said the case file might be referred again to the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution (BIP) for further investigations. They said the court furnished the Supreme Judiciary Council with a detailed report about what it has done so far regarding the case. The sources said the council assured the court of its full support and said it was ready to supply it with more cadres whenever needed.
