Barba unlikely to be stop-listed after false passport claim

IMMIGRATION Police Chief Andreas Aristidou said yesterday that Greek actress Vana Barba was not on the Cyprus stop-list and that there were no immediate plans to put her there.

Barba this week admitted on camera that her boyfriend, businessman Lakis Raptakis, used a false passport on a trip to Cyprus with her three years ago.

Interior Minister Christodoulos Christodoulou and Justice Minister Nicos Koshis reacted strongly to the revelation, calling it a criminal act and demanding a full investigation.

Koshis said her statements should be validated and appropriate action taken if necessary.

He did not rule out the possibility of adding her name to the stop list.

Christodoulou demanded an explanation, saying: ” Until now, I thought Ms Barba was a distinguished artist with an artistic record. This is a matter for police investigation, both here and in Greece. Since the actress has cheated the authorities, they should both explain why they broke the law in Cyprus and Greece.”

Immigration chief George Theodorou was yesterday unavailable for comment, but Commander of Immigration Police Andreas Aristidou said relegating Barba to the stop-list was unlikely.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.