The occupied areas have been flooded with people wanted by Interpol or involved in crimes in the country in which they are located in recent years. The issue is raised by the Turkish newspaper BirGün, noting that leaders of criminal organizations, drug lords and murderers from around the world are settling on the island (occupied) to live a comfortable life.
"The island is now known for money laundering, fictitious betting, casinos and murder rather than for its natural beauty and tranquility. Eventually, the assassination of casino baron Khalil Falgiali revealed panic on the island. The fact that the 'governments' of the island established an organic relationship with the criminals and made a profit sparked chaos.
Encouraging the AKP government to use and launder dirty money making the island its backyard has exacerbated the problems.
Professors from illegal universities in the occupied territories note that the pseudo-state is not recognized by any country other than Turkey in the world, and therefore has no official relations with other countries, which creates serious legal gaps regarding crime and criminals.
In 2006, there were reports in the British press that a man named Sean Lupton, wanted in connection with one of the largest cash robberies in the UK, may be hiding in the occupied territories. A man named Hakan Ayık, wanted on a red alert for very serious organized crime such as drug trafficking and prostitution in Australia, was also arrested in the pseudo-state in 2010 but later released. "This person, who escaped to Turkey after his release, is living a luxurious life in Turkey today," the Turkish professor notes.
One of the most interesting suspects living in the occupied territories is Bertil Wedin, a former member of the Swedish secret service who was among the suspects in the assassination of former Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Palme, the publication reports.
"Wedin lived in Kyrenia with his family until he died a few weeks (March 5) before 1985. He lived in.
The Turkish journalist Levent adzadam recently wrote about the fact that Australia's largest cocaine trafficker, Mark Buddle, entered and settled in the pseudo-state with a tourist visa and claimed that this person was protected by some pseudo-states politicians and businessmen, "let alone "He was arrested by the police, he did," he said.
The AKP's illegal garden
Noting that the existence of the pseudo-state is outside international law made such people come to the island, Özdemir notes. "Another reason is the 'development' policies that are consciously followed in the 'TRNC'. What I mean by this is that the 'TRNC' economy has deliberately shifted to increasingly dubious sectors. Banks, exchange offices and casinos, the three most important means of money laundering, are increasingly becoming the backbone of the Northern Cyprus economy. Especially after the opening of offshore banks in the TRNC, black money laundering began to flow here. "Roadblocks between north and south are also ideal for connecting illegal businesses to Europe."
He stressed that in order to prevent these crimes, the opening of banks in occupied Cyprus should become more difficult, casinos should be banned or their inspections should be increased, Özdemir said.
YKP (Yeni Kibris Party) General Secretary Murat Kanatlı, on the other hand, said the island's reputation for organized crime is parallel to the process in Turkey. Noting that the AKP has been using the island to build different models of money laundering since the 2010s, Kanatlı said: "They have been using the island as a link to the mafia in African countries, especially in the university sector. There are reports that various mafia leaders in Africa have settled in the occupied territories.
The occupied territories are used as the backyard as Turkey gains more control. Through this, the money laundered in the occupied territories, entering the system, can legally enter the Turkish system.
"The banking law was regulated in the context of the harmonization of the northern part of Cyprus with the EU. The "Cypriot administration" prevented this adjustment. At this stage, there are departments that earn very serious income from it. The leadership of the National Unity Party (UBP) is fed from here. We saw it in the case of Falgiali. Falgial's father is also an honorary member of UBP. "We are talking about the organic relationship associated with UBP," he said.
The editor-in-chief of Kibris, Ayşemden Akın, began his speech by saying: "We are bringing criminals from all over the world into the TRNC, not just from Turkey."
In this context, he pointed out, that some criminals come to the island, register as students and some as tourists, "with the visa application ready.
The university population that has grown in recent years has turned into "student terror" in, say, the north of the island. Many people from third world countries come to the island by enrolling as students and get into virtual betting-virtual money and drug business. Many African "students" have very luxurious vehicles of the latest model. They live in luxury homes and pay their rent annually. "The courtrooms are unfortunately full of detained 'students,'" he said.
A man who came as a student later became known as wanted by Interpol.
"He was involved in various crimes in Britain and was wanted for state fraud and large-scale tax evasion," Akın said, adding: "The island does not have a comprehensive judicial system, making it easier for criminals to enter the island. . I do not think governments are thinking much about this because UBP President Faiz Sucuoğlu, who is currently the Prime Minister of the TRNC, was talking about using the benefits of these moves. We see only one disadvantage, but obviously there is something that the 'Prime Minister' sees as an advantage. "Money laundering, gambling, drugs, prostitution, human trafficking are not and cannot be in the interest of 'governments'."
It is noted that most of BirGün's columnists are members or supporters of the Socialist Party for Freedom and Solidarity (ÖDP), which is a member of the European Left Party and one of the founders of the European Anti-Capitalist Left.
sigmalive.com