Friend of driver who hit a Congolese student in a fatal accident in north Cyprus tried to cover up for him

The driver who hit and killed an international student while driving drunk and without a drivers license in an incident that happened in Lefkosia on Wednesday night has be detained while a second suspect who made a false statement to the police that he was driving the vehicle when the accident happened was released on bail.

The unfortunate incident happened on Osman Örek Street in Lefkcosia at around 11.45 pm on Wednesday, Dec., 27, when Hüseyin Bal, 25, a Turkish national hit Gabriel Shimata Kasongoo, 25, a Congolese national who was riding a bicycle in the same road.

Gabriel was thrown about 3 meters into the air upon impact and fell 56 meters away from the point of impact, while the driver of the vehicle reportedly stopped 105 meters away from the scene of the incident. 

Kasongo, who was seriously injured in the incident was rushed to the Lefkosia State Hospital but died despite all attempts to save his life.

Police said the driver was driving carelessly under the influence of alcohol and without a driving licence. He told the police that he did not see the victim.

The driver of the vehicle, Hüseyin Bal and another suspect Ömer Tüsün who was a driver in the vehicle was arrested and taken to court on Thursday.

Police said camera footage of the accident was watched and it was seen that the vehicle was excessively fast, but the exact speed limit will be determined after the investigation. Police noted that the biggest factor in the accident was the suspect changing lanes.

The suspect, Ömer Tüsün who was the real owner of the vehicle and friend of the driver gave a false statement to the police that he was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident. He told police that he gave a false statement because he was shocked.

The police stated that the investigation against Hüseyin Bal was continuing and asked for him to be detained for one more day, while Ömer Tüsün be released on bail.

The judge ordered that Hüseyin Bal be detained for one day and Ömer Tüsün be released on bail on the condition that he deposits a cash guarantee of 10,000 TL and bring a guarantor to sign a surety bond of 250,000 TL. 

Gabriel Shimata Kasongoo was to graduate in June, 2024.