Arrests in sham marriage case

POLICE have arrested three persons on suspicion of conspiring to arrange and carry out a fake marriage.

A Larnaca district court yesterday ordered the suspects – a Cypriot national, a Ukrainian and a Bulgarian – be remanded in police custody for five days.

The case dates back to October 2010 and involves a civil marriage held at the municipality of Lysi.

Police told the court that their first suspect, a 52-year-old Cypriot, confessed under questioning that he had urged the Ukrainian woman to wed a Bulgarian national and permanent resident of Cyprus.

The purpose of the marriage was so that the 46-year-old Ukrainian could remain on the island as her residency permit was about to expire.

The Bulgarian man received €3,000 for agreeing to the arrangement, police said.

Commenting on this latest incident, the mayor of Lysi expressed his frustration with media coverage that portrayed the municipality as a favourite among scam artists.

Mayor Andreas Ttofias denied any culpability on the part of the municipality, noting that it had no choice but to issue a marriage certificate if all the required documents are in order.

The municipality requires a residency permit, a document certifying celibacy or otherwise, a passport and a sworn statement.

Toffias said it is not possible for the municipality to verify whether the applicants “are hiding something”.

“This is the job of the police.”

He went on to suggest that stricter checks be enforced by judicial authorities when issuing sworn statements to applicants.

Recent years have seen a sharp rise in marriage scams in Cyprus.

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