Turkey’s Supreme Court in Ankara has upheld the convictions of two seafarers from the bulker Phoenician M, maintaining the 30-year negligence sentences handed to Capt. Marko Bekavac and Chief Officer Ali Albokhari.
The decision was passed by a three-to-two margin and is likely to intensify scrutiny of the case, particularly because the captain had already been released in August 2025 under circumstances that have since drawn serious questions, while the chief officer remains in prison despite being convicted on the same allegations.
Ali Albokhari’s wife, Elena, said she was devastated by the Supreme Court’s decision, which she learned about on the day it was issued. She said she still cannot understand what her husband is specifically accused of or what he is supposed to be guilty of, adding that the documents still do not clearly explain his fault.
She said that once again the papers indicate that nothing has been found against him, yet he is still being sentenced, and said she simply wants someone to explain what is happening. She added that she does not know what to tell his mother, who asks every day what her son is guilty of.
Ali and Elena Albokhari are both Finnish nationals and live in Finland. However, Finland’s foreign ministry has also reportedly struggled to understand the Turkish court’s reasoning.
A spokesperson for the Finnish foreign office told Seatrade Maritime News that it had also received the news that day and was in direct contact with Albokhari’s spouse to assess the situation. The spokesperson added that Finnish officials remain in regular contact with Turkish authorities regarding the case.
In an earlier response, the foreign office had already admitted that it had not received clarification regarding the convictions or the details of the allegations against Albokhari and Capt. Bekavac. The spokesperson said that despite repeated requests since August, Turkish authorities had not explained the reasons for Chief Mate Albokhari’s continued imprisonment, and added that the matter remained under follow-up.
The case is also beginning to raise broader concerns for the maritime sector, especially with at least two other crew members having reportedly been arrested in Turkey over the past year.
The court is now expected to explain the contradiction between the captain’s release and the chief mate’s continued detention. Further controversy emerged following claims in the Croatian press suggesting that the captain may have been exchanged for Mustafa Yiğit Zeren, chairman and chief executive of the Zeren Group, who had been arrested in Croatia at the request of Russian authorities.
Croatian publication Teleskop reported in August last year that the release of both Capt. Bekavac and Zeren was surrounded by mystery. According to the report, Croatian foreign minister Gordan Grlić Radman issued only a brief statement praising diplomatic efforts, while explanations from Bekavac’s lawyer and brother did little to answer wider questions.
