Girne District Gets a New Governor After Drunk Driving Scandal

Northern Cyprus has appointed a new governor for the Girne District following the dismissal of the previous official over a drunk driving incident.

According to a notice published in the Official Gazette, Revin Gürler, formerly Director at the Ministry of National Education, has been appointed as the new district governor. She replaces Cemal Özcemoğlu, who had held the position since April 28, 2023, and was officially removed from office on April 18.

Local media report that Özcemoğlu was stopped at a police checkpoint while under the influence of alcohol. He allegedly argued with officers in an attempt to avoid a drunk driving penalty. Following the incident, the Ministry of the Interior launched an investigation. After refusing to take a breathalyzer test, he was penalized with 100 traffic points, had his driver's license suspended for three months, and was fined 43,469 TL.

The Official Gazette also announced two other high-level personnel changes. Deputy Minister of the Interior Kemal Yılmaz has been dismissed. Batu Beyit, former Head of the Monitoring and Coordination Department at the State Planning Organization, has been appointed as the new Deputy Minister of the Interior. Nahide Kayan Eraslan, previously Director of the Human Resources Department, has been reassigned as Chair of the Public Administration and Human Resources Office.

All appointments and dismissals are effective immediately.