Turkish Cypriot lawyer arrested in Italy

A Turkish Cypriot lawyer was arrested in Italy, it emerged on Tuesday, with reports linking the arrest to the sale of Greek Cypriot-owned property in the north.

The lawyer, named as Akan Kursat, is the husband of the north’s ‘deputy parliament speaker’ Fazilet Ozdenefe.

It is believed that he has already appeared in an Italian court and been remanded in custody.

While the circumstances surrounding Kursat’s arrest are currently unknown, it has been noted that European arrest warrants were issued against him and his father in 2004 regarding the sale of Greek Cypriot property.

The arrest warrants were subsequently lifted, and Kursat can now cross freely to the Republic, as evidenced by the fact that he flew to Italy from Larnaca airport.

However, it is possible that the Italian authorities failed to remove Kursat’s name from their list.

Cypriot police spokesman Christos Andreou told the Cyprus Mail he had received no information regarding any such arrest made by the Italian authorities.

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot Leader Ersin Tatar said on Tuesday he had conveyed his best wishes to Fazilet Ozdenefe and that he was closely following the case’s development.