Student who had been declared a banned immigrant by TRNC government arrested for document forgery

An individual who had been declared a banned immigrant in north Cyprus by the TRNC council of ministers found himself in trouble again after he was linked with the forging of a fake car rental contract present to the police in Lefkosia.

The individual, JOI, a Nigerian student in north Cyprus who was linked to a crime and declared a prohibited immigrant by the TRNC Council of Ministers on December 11, 2024, for "forming a gang," has been arrested long with one MB, an Ethiopian student for allegedly presenting a fake rental car agreement to the police in Lefkosa earlier this week.

They were both brought before the court on Wednesday December 25 on charges of “Forgery of Official Documents,” “Circulation of Forged Documents,” and “Residency Without Permission.”

Police officer who presented the facts in court stated that on December 13, 2024, a traffic officer on duty from the Traffic Department stopped and inspected the vehicle driven by the suspect MB, on Şht. Mustafa Ahmet Ruso Street in Lefkosa. The suspect reportedly told the traffic officer that the rental car agreement was not with him at the time but that he would bring it to the police later.

On December 14, 2024, the suspect went to the Traffic Department of the Lefkosa Police Directorate and presented a rental car agreement issued under a company’s name, valid from December 13 to 16. The police revealed that the suspect had forged the document by writing his own name on it and submitted it to the officer.

The police also stated that the suspect confessed to his crime when summoned to the Lefkosia Criminal Investigation Branch on the same day. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the suspect had been residing in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) without a valid residence permit since November 29, 2024. 

The police informed the court that the suspect had already been brought to court twice, and a 10-day extension had been granted for the investigation.

During this time, the police conducted an investigation at a car rental company in Lapta and found that the vehicle in question had been rented to JOI. On December 25, 2024, JOI was located and taken into custody. The officer added that handwriting samples had also been obtained from JOI during the investigation.

The police stated that the part of the investigation that could be influenced by the suspects had been completed and noted that JOI had been declared a prohibited immigrant by the Council of Ministers. The police also mentioned that MB held student status in the country.

The prosecutor requested that MB be released on suitable bail conditions, while JOI should be sent to prison for a period not exceeding 2 months as per the deportation order.

After evaluating the testimony, the judge ordered that JOI be sent to prison for a period not exceeding 2 months and that MB be subject to a travel ban, report to the police once a week, deposit 35,000 TL in cash as bail, and have a guarantor sign a surety bond of 300,000 TL.