Turkish Cypriot lawyer Akan Krsat who was arrested in Rome on New Year’s Eve is expected to be transferred to Cyprus this week, Police Spokesperson Christos Andreou has told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA).
The lawyer was arrested for a case of exploitation and sale of private land, belonging to Greek Cypriots, in the Turkish occupied village of Klepini.
Andreou said that the Cyprus Police were informed on February 2nd, through the national SIRENE Bureau, that Krsat has consented to his extradition to the Republic of Cyprus and will be transferred within ten days.
He said that the Police are in contact with the Italian authorities and are awaiting for a specific date for the investigators from Cyprus to travel to Rome for the transport of the lawyer to the Republic.
Replying to a question about tomorrow’s court proceedings in Rome, Andreou told the Cyprus News Agency that after the lawyer accepted the extradition, the proceedings will not take place.
Police Spokesperson explained that upon his arrival to t
he Republic of Cyprus Krsat will be arrested on the basis of the national arrest warrant, taken into custody and then detained and questioned on the charges of the case for which another person had been convicted, British national Gary Robb.
The Police will proceed with the investigation of all the data in the file in order to establish that it is valid, Andreou said.
Four persons are wanted in relation to the 2007 arrest warrant by which Akan Krsat was arrested in Rome. These are British Gary Robb, Turkish Cypriot lawyer Akan Krsat, Turkish Cypriot contractor Tunzel Tahir Soykan and Turkish Cypriot engineer Kutsal Tokatlioglu, who were related to AGA Developments, a company that exploited the land in Klepini.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
Source: Cyprus News Agency