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Istanbul's Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has requested a formal review from the Council of Forensic Medicine's 5th Specialization Board after drug tests taken from actress Hande Ercel returned inconclusive results.
Ercel provided blood and hair samples at the Council of Forensic Medicine as part of a broader narcotics investigation targeting prominent figures in Istanbul.
While her overall drug test came back negative, the samples indicated the presence of morphine, codeine, metabolite codeine glucuronide, and the pharmaceutical compound paracetamol.
Prosecutors from Istanbul's Smuggling, Narcotics and Economic Crimes Investigation Bureau have since written to the forensic board requesting a determination on whether the detected substances are of pharmaceutical origin. The board's evaluation is pending.
In her statement to prosecutors, Ercel said she had visited the Bebek Hotel only a few times for business meetings, and only to its restaurant.
"Other than that, I have no nightlife. I did not attend any private parties or events allegedly organized by certain businesspeople that appeared in the press. I do not know anyone named in the file who organizes such parties. I had no knowledge of these parties or events whatsoever, and I was not even invited. I have never used narcotics or stimulants at any point in my life. I pay attention to healthy living, both as a professional obligation and personally. I have also never seen Hakan Sabanci use narcotics or stimulants," Ercel said.
Ercel added that she has been in the public eye for 13 years and has always been mindful of her conduct, given the audience she influences.
"I have tried and continue to try to set a good example for everyone and to represent my country abroad in the best way possible. I am saddened that my name appears in such a file in this manner. I do not accept the accusations leveled against me," she said.
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