In Northern Cyprus, casino employees are being prosecuted where a Turkish Cypriot won the jackpot

Three employees of the Nicosia Merit casino are facing trial in Northern Cyprus. They are accused of allowing a TRNC citizen to enter the casino, win 2,266,000 Turkish Lira, and then illegally deduct taxes from the winnings.

The defendants in the trial are casino manager Berch Tüysüz, slot manager Mehmet Hakkı Şehulettiba, and cashier Birol Çağlayan.

The police reported that the suspects were brought to court on bail for crimes such as 'Violating the Anti-Money Laundering Law,' 'Issuing Counterfeit Documents,' and 'Obtaining Money by Fraud.'

The incident leading to the legal proceedings occurred on September 28, 2019. Turkish Cypriot Mustafa Ersalan visited the casino and won a jackpot of 2,266,000 Turkish Lira, allegedly gaining 'criminal proceeds.' The player's case was heard in the Supreme Criminal Court of Nicosia on September 5, 2023. In the end, the man not only did not receive the significant winnings but also remained in debt himself. This story was widely covered in the media.

The Supreme Criminal Court ordered an investigation into the Merit Casino based on the 'Anti-Money Laundering Law.'

The police stated that the casino employees deducted 12% from the player's winnings, although they were not entitled to do so, thus obtaining 271,993.07 Turkish Lira by fraud - under the guise of taxes.

The court's decision notes that Nicosia Merit Casino unlawfully acted on behalf of the state and made deductions under the guise of taxes from the jackpot won by Mustafa Ersalan.

The police argued that the crimes committed by the suspects fall under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Criminal Court and demanded assurances to ensure their future court appearance.

The judge opted not to arrest the accused and decided that they would provide a financial guarantee of 50,000 Turkish Lira each. Additionally, a guarantor will sign a guarantee of 500,000 Turkish Lira for each of the defendants.