World Bulletin / News Desk

President Abdullah Gül received Semra and Ahmet Özal, the wife and son of former President Turgut Özal, on Wednesday to discuss the latest findings of the suspicious death of Özal 19 years ago.

The meeting took place at the presidential Huber Mansion in Tarabya, İstanbul. Neither Gül nor the Özals made a statement following the one-hour-long meeting.

Mrs. Özal had requested an appointment with Gül after the State Audit Institution (DDK) released a report on Özal's death last week. The DDK, which is part of the President's Office, announced its findings regarding allegations that Özal might have been poisoned. The DDK found the 1993 death of then-President Özal to be “suspicious,” calling on prosecutors to investigate the case.

The report said there has been no satisfactory investigation into allegations by several family members and lawmakers that Özal's death might have been the result of poisoning.

The report suggested exhuming his remains, conducting an autopsy and running a hair sample test to shed light on these allegations. Doctors at the time said Özal, who underwent a triple bypass surgery in 1987, died of heart failure.

The DDK launched an inquiry into the former president's death on Oct. 1, 2010, on the order of Gül in March of that year and announced the findings in its report on Wednesday. The report states the late president's death was sudden as he was not suffering from any chronic disease.

“The sudden death of any president on duty is a suspicious one,” the report adds, noting that the fact that no autopsy was performed after his death was an “eclipse of reason.” The report notes that every single allegation brought forth by Özal's relatives was taken into account during the investigation.