Another arrest in illegal stay and forgery case

A 58-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday night in connection to several cases of illegal stay in the Republic and document forgery, the same for which a further 17 people are being sought and three more were arrested on Tuesday.

The man, who is expected to appear in front of the Limassol district court on Thursday, is the owner of an office in town allegedly facilitating third country nationals secure fake residency permits.

The three people arrested on Tuesday provided evidence against him when interrogated. The 58-year-old denied any involvement in the cases.

On March 20, the director of the Limassol citizens service centre reported that between December 8, 2022 and March 3, as many as 20 applications to obtain driving licences appeared suspicious.

Upon further investigations, carried out by the Aliens and Immigrations Services, it emerged that all 20 applicants presented fake permanent residency permits (MEU2).