Man arrested for issuing work permit to Illegal virtual betting workers

A Turkish Cypriot man has been arrested for issuing work permit to members of the illegal betting site operating in Lefkosa.

The suspect named only as C.D was arrested and taken to court on Thursday Sept. 5. on charges of “preparing false documents, putting them into use, and inciting the preparation of false documents”

Police accused the suspect of issuing work permits to members of the illegal betting site 'Perabet' through a "cleaning company" in Lefkosia.

Sharing details of the incident in court, the police said that the suspect committed the crime between April 4, 2019 and May 5, 2019.

Police said it was determined that one BK, who was arrested after it was determined that the individual YK was providing “call center” services to illegal betting sites in an operation carried out in 2021, had obtained a work permit for his wife M.K. through a cleaning company operating in Lefkosa.

The police noted that YK was arrested in 2021 and an investigation was launched.

The police stated that as part of the investigation, many documents were taken from the cleaning company in question as evidence and sent for examination.

The police stated that the result of the examination of the signs was determined as of September 4, 2024, and it was determined that the suspect, who worked as an accountant in the cleaning company in question, forged the CD by signing the service contract of 3 people working on the virtual betting site and gave it to the Ministry of Labor and put it into use.

The police said that the suspect, who was arrested the day before, gave a voluntary statement as a confession.

The police stated that the investigation into the suspect was completed and requested a bail guarantee.

The judge released the suspect on bail and banned him from travelling abroad until his trial on the condition that he pay a cash bail of 40,000 TL, that two reliable guarantors who are TRNC citizens sign a bail bond worth 500,000 TL each and that he appear at the nearest police station once every two weeks as a witness.