Istanbul court issues detention warrant for Turkish volleyball player for ‘driving under the influence’

Istanbul court issues detention warrant for Turkish volleyball player for ‘driving under the influence’

Özge Eğrikar – ISTANBUL

An Istanbul court has issued a detention warrant for Turkish national volleyball team player Arslan Ekşi, who also plays for the Russian Lokomotiv Novosibirsk club, after he failed to attend the hearings in a trial in which he is accused of drunk driving.

On Nov. 17, 2016, police officers stopped Ekşi’s car during a routine control procedure and conducted a breath test, in which his blood-alcohol content was measured at 1.41 percent. Ekşi then had his driving license revoked for a period of six months and a criminal case was launched against him.

In the second hearing of the case, Arslan’s lawyer said his client was playing for a Russian team, which is why he failed to attend the first two hearings.

The court then issued a detention warrant for Ekşi’s testimony to be taken.