President Sadettin Saran in custody

Positive hair sample

Used cocaine? Fenerbahçe president in custody

The boss of the top Istanbul club Fenerbahçe has come into the focus of the judiciary. Sadettin Saran denies all allegations against him.

The president of the Turkish top club Fenerbahçe Istanbul was taken into custody on Christmas Eve as a result of a drug investigation. Several Turkish media outlets report this unanimously. The club itself announced that Sadettin Saran went to the Maslak Provincial Gendarmerie in his own vehicle on Wednesday “as part of the ongoing judicial proceedings, on the instructions and under the supervision of the relevant authorities.”

The 61-year-old, who has only been in office since September, is accused of drug trafficking and drug consumption after a hair sample is said to have tested positive for cocaine. The decisive factor was “additional evidence” from the ongoing proceedings, as Turkish media quote from a statement from the Public Prosecutor General’s Office.

Saran himself said in a statement on social media that he had “never consumed the substance that allegedly tested positive in the Institute of Forensic Medicine test.” He writes of a “clear smear campaign” against himself. Fenerbahçe stood behind its president. “We firmly believe that our president will handle this situation with prudence and fortitude, as he has done so far,” the club wrote.

The Istanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office has been conducting drug investigations for weeks, which have also affected other celebrities. Saran was released on conditions last Saturday after tests and a statement to the public prosecutor.