Finnish PM Sanna Marin tests negative for drugs after leaked party video uproar
Aug 23, 2022
Helsinki [Finland], August 23 : In order to clear suspicions following the publication of a party video footage that showed her partying with friends, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin took a drug test and tested negative on Monday.
The house party video that circulated on social media, raised questions about whether illegal substances were involved, following which Marin's urine sample was tested for the presence of various drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines, cannabis, and opioids, Iida Vallin, a special adviser to the prime minister, said on Monday, reported Al Jazeera.
"Drug test is taken from Prime Minister Sanna Marin on 19 August 2022 did not reveal the presence of drugs," Marin's office said in a statement.
Clearing the air around the leaked video footage, Marin previously said she was spending an evening with friends and the videos were filmed on private premises.
"To clear up any suspicions, I have taken a drug test today," Marin told reporters at her residence on Friday.
She admitted to having drunk alcohol, however, denied taking drugs and said that she did not witness any drug use by any of the attendees as well.
"Never in my life, not even in my youth, have I ever used any drugs," she said, adding that she was upset that videos of her dancing at private parties were published online as they were meant to be seen only by friends.
The scandal erupted after some media claimed that a slang word for cocaine could be heard in one of the clips, while others said it was more likely to mean liquor.
The Prime Minister argued she had only drank alcohol and there was no evidence that any illegal substance had been consumed by anyone, according to YLE.
Opposition Finns Party leader Riikka Purra called for Marin to take a voluntary drug test. His call was echoed by Mikko Karna of the agrarian Center Party, a coalition partner of Marin's Social Democrats. Notably, Marin, who was elected in 2019 at the age of 34, has previously been the target of criticism over parties at her official residence.
