Fenerbahce President detained as part of drug investigation

Turkish police have detained the president of the Fenerbahce football club, Sadettin Saran, as part of a drug investigation, reports Cumhuriyet.

Previously, Saran was called to testify as part of an investigation by the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office on charges of “distributing, using and facilitating the use of narcotic substances.” He was released under judicial control in the form of a ban on traveling abroad. A sample of Sarana’s hair sent to the forensic institute tested positive for cocaine.

Sarana stated that he had never in his life used the substance that was allegedly discovered during the forensic examination. He also called the case against him a “smear campaign” and took another test at an independent laboratory.

“Based on additional evidence obtained during the investigation against the suspect Steven Sadettin Saran, he was detained by members of the Gendarmerie on charges of drug supply, facilitation and use,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

Fenerbahçe issued a statement regarding the arrest of Saran.

“The investigation is ongoing and the process is being conducted in compliance with the rule of law, under the guidance of the relevant authorities.” We are confident that our President will get through this with resilience, as he has done so far. The work carried out in the interests of our club will continue without interruption; our president will leave these days behind and continue to work for the benefit of our club,” the Istanbul team’s press service said in a statement.