Greek national arrested in north for leaving without passport check

A Greek national appeared in court in the north on Monday, accused of having left for the Republic via the Ledras street crossing point without having gone through the passport checking procedure.

Entering the buffer zone from the north without permission from the north’s authorities is treated with the same severity as entering a military base without permission, and thus he stands accused of a serious crime.

The man was arrested on Sunday at Ercan (Tymbou) airport after arriving on an inbound flight, when it was determined at passport control that he had left the north in 2018 without having gone through passport control.

The Turkish Cypriot police say he admitted to having done so after being arrested, and that he had also told them that after crossing to the Republic, he robbed a bank in Limassol and spent three years in prison.

He reportedly told the police that after having been released from prison, he lived in Larnaca, before attempting to fly to Georgia last week.

However, he said he was refused entry by the Georgian authorities and sent back to Larnaca.

The police say he told them that on Saturday, he had travelled to Istanbul via Bulgaria, before flying from Istanbul back to Cyprus, landing at Ercan (Tymbou) airport.

They added that their investigation into the matter had not yet been completed and that there was a “strong possibility” that the suspect would escape prosecution if released. They therefore requested that he be remanded.

Judge Jale Erguden ordered that the man be held in custody for a period not exceeding two months subject to a trial.