Greek Cypriot handed jail sentence in north over fake passport scam

A Greek Cypriot was sentenced in the north on Thursday to 60 days in prison for attempting to help an accomplice cross to the Republic from the north with a fake Azerbaijani passport.

The man’s accomplice, a Russian national, was also handed a 60-day sentence.

The pair both pleaded guilty in court in northern Nicosia on Thursday, before their lawyers took the floor to ask judge Jale Erguden for clemency.

The Greek Cypriot’s lawyer said his client has kidney disease, while the Russian national’s lawyer said his client said his client has cancer.

Both lawyers said their clients felt remorse, had no criminal record and that the crime “had not harmed anyone”.

Erguden said the crimes they had committed were “becoming widespread” but said she had taken into account both defendants’ health when handing down the sentence.

The pair had been arrested in May after attempting to cross southwards at the Ayios Dhometios crossing point.

When the car arrived at the crossing point, the Greek Cypriot presented to the police his own Cypriot identity card and an Azerbaijani passport. The police reportedly immediately discerned that the passport was a fake and pulled the car over.

The Russian national then got out of the car via the back door and ran off, re-entering the north via the military base located directly to the north of the crossing point.