Liberian national sentenced to 3 years in prison by a north Cyprus court for forgery, scam and illegal residency

A foreign national who was arrested and prosecuted for forgery and for living in north Cyprus without a resident permit has been sentenced to 3 years in prison.

The decision was announced by the Lefkosia High Criminal Court in north Cyprus on Tuesday.

The defendant, B.A.J, 21, a Liberian was arrested and taken to court in January, 2023 on charges of "forgery of official documents", "scam" and "residence without permission".

Delivering the judgement, the judge stated that the defendant stole a piece of clothing from a shopping mall operating in Lefkosia in January 2023, and when he was caught, he introduced himself to the police as another person.

The judge stated that the defendant forged official documents by signing the guarantee form and the lawsuit notification document prepared in the name of the person he impersonated.

The judge stated that the fact that the defendant committed these crimes while living illegally in the country was considered as an aggravating factor against him.

The judge stated that they considered the fact that the defendant was 21 years old and had no criminal record, and that he would serve his sentence in a country far from his family, as mitigating factors in his favor. 

The judge announced that after evaluating all the facts, they sentenced the defendant to 3 years in prison.