POLICE yesterday issued an arrest warrant against a Greek Cypriot lawyer in connection with allegedly assisting marriages of convenience for a price.
Investigations led to the female lawyer from Nicosia, following the arrest of a 19-year-old woman from Bulgaria and an Indian man aged 24 on Saturday. The “couple” were yesterday remanded for eight days by Larnaca District Court on suspicion of engaging in a sham marriage, as well as possible bigamy on the woman’s part.
According to the police, the lawyer was pinpointed by the 19-year-old as the matchmaker who charged the Indian illegal immigrant €6,500 to arrange the marriage and secure his EU citizenship. The Bulgarian woman was given €3,000 for her trouble.
Speaking to the press yesterday, Larnaca Police Spokesman Christos Andreou said: “Following personal interviews between Nicosia’s Aliens and Immigration Service and the two foreigners – specifically a 24-year-old Indian man and 19-year-old Bulgarian woman – regarding a wedding they carried out on July 31, 2008, at the court of an occupied municipality that is centred in Larnaca, doubts arose over the authenticity of the marriage.”
“Under interrogation, the two suspects admitted that the Indian man had been illegally residing in Cyprus and had turned to a specific lawyer in Nicosia and asked her to find a foreign woman from a European country to participate in a fake marriage”.
The lawyer was paid €6.500. “On her part, the Bulgarian woman said she had been paid €3,000 by the lawyer to undergo the fake marriage with the Indian,” said Andreou.
“During our investigations, we will also look into the possibility of the specific person being involved in other crimes of a similar nature.”
A second Bulgarian man is also wanted in connection with the case, but he is currently abroad. “The [Bulgarian] suspect named a second person, compatriot of hers, who seems to have helped her carry out the crime we are investigating,” said Andreou. “The suspect herself said the second person that is wanted is from Bulgaria and they used to live together, but despite these claims, we are examining the possibility of whether she was already married to this man. If this is a fact, we will also be investigating a case of bigamy.”
The suspected fake couple, he added, have been remanded for eight days, while an arrest warrant has been issued for the lawyer and Bulgarian man.
The latest sham marriage case again highlighted the need to amend legislation.
The Interior Ministry has already prepared a draft bill that will be tabled to parliament as soon as possible, while Chief Migration Officer Anny Shakalli has slapped the Municipalities Union on the wrist with yet another letter, recommending stricter checks on prospective spouses.
Current legislation, which came into affect before Cyprus’ accession to the EU, created the legal framework for marriages between people of other religions.
However, the law is lacking in areas, opening the way for it being exploited.
In her letter to the municipalities – according to Limassol Mayor and head of the Municipalities’ Union Andreas Christou – Shakalli repeated her request for civil marriage proposals to go through the Interior Ministry’s Migration Department for approval. She explained that by doing so, the possibility of bigamy can at least be eliminated.
Christou subsequently sent a letter to all municipalities, pointing out that the extent of the problem in Cyprus was being felt in Europe and something needed to be done. “A significant number of these civil marriages turn out to be fake or result in bigamies, which is harming our country’s image in Europe but also abroad in general,” said Christou.
He added that the municipalities’ probes into foreigners’ personal details needed to be much more thorough.
On his part, Interior Minister Neoklis Sylikiotis said the relevant legislation was already under review and he hoped the final draft would be sent to Parliament very soon.
“The amendments that were deemed necessary for the current law have been sent to the Legal Services for examination and with the return of Parliament from its summer recess, they will be put forwards for approval,” the minister said yesterday.
