Scandal Erupts in Northern Cyprus Over the Import of Stolen Cars from the UK

A scandal is unfolding in Northern Cyprus regarding the importation of stolen vehicles from the United Kingdom. The Customs and Taxation Department of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has released a statement revealing that, over the past 2.5 years, 61 vehicles have been imported into the country from the UK, all of which are listed as stolen. Social media has been buzzing with claims that, after their confiscation, these cars were repurposed for use by officials from the Ministry of Finance.

This revelation was made public last Sunday by Kudret Özersay, the former chief negotiator for the Turkish Cypriots in the Cyprus issue.

In his social media post, Özersay claimed that it is a common practice in Northern Cyprus for vehicles that are seized by authorities after being identified as stolen to be reused. According to him, these vehicles are repurposed as government cars, including for use by the Ministry of Finance. Özersay has requested a legal opinion from the TRNC’s main prosecutor’s office to investigate the matter further.

The Customs and Taxation Department responded to these claims:

• "We would like to clarify that the reports about the import of stolen vehicles into our country are not accurate," the statement said.

The department emphasized that, "in order to protect the rights of citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, as well as legal and natural persons residing in the country," it conducted thorough checks on vehicles imported from the United Kingdom to determine whether they were indeed stolen.

According to the Customs and Taxation Department, during inspections of the cars imported over the past 2.5 years from the UK, it was confirmed that 61 of the vehicles were, in fact, stolen.

These vehicles were subsequently placed under customs control and transferred to the State Department of Real Estate. Legal owners of the cars abroad have been notified and advised to assert their rights.

The statement also highlighted that after the Customs and Excise Department, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ General Directorate, began working closely with foreign authorities, a significant decrease in the number of stolen vehicles being imported into the TRNC was observed.

Recently, the Legal Department (Attorney General’s Office) issued a legal opinion regarding the rights of individuals involved in the import of these vehicles under the current legal framework.

According to the Legal Department’s conclusion, those importing stolen vehicles are not considered the rightful owners. The legitimate owners of these vehicles abroad have already been informed and encouraged to pursue their claims with the appropriate authorities in their respective countries.