Man arrested in north says got fake money from the Republic

A man arrested in north Nicosia for attempting to use a counterfeit €50 note at the Saray casino said on Tuesday he had obtained the money from a bureau de change in the Republic.

The man, a Lebanese national, was arrested inside the casino last Friday by police who were inspecting the premises after he handed the note to a worker at the casino.

Police officer Murat Ergun told the court that in addition to the fake note a total of €250 and US$406 in cash had been found on the man when he was arrested, and that a subsequent investigation had found the cash to be authentic.

He added that the man had left the north via the Ayios Dhometios crossing point on March 6, but that there was no evidence of him re-entering the north thereafter.

He said the man had confessed to entering the north illegally in June after having obtained the €50 note from a bureau de change in the Republic.

Erguden said the man has no ties to the north and ordered that he be held in custody.

The man’s lawyer Huseyin Koralp said his client is suffering from a cardiovascular disease and requested that he therefore be examined by a doctor.

Judge Jale Erguden ordered that the man be held in custody for a period not exceeding 30 days and that he be examined by a doctor in a fully equipped hospital.