Two arrested in Paphos for fake marriage documents

Police in Paphos arrested two people in connection with a case involving forged marriage documents used to obtain residency permits. A third person is also wanted in relation to the case.

According to Paphos police spokesperson Michalis Nikolaou, a 41-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman visited the local immigration office on Monday afternoon to register their marriage and secure the necessary documentation for residency in the Republic.

Among the documents they presented was a marriage certificate from a European country.

After questioning the couple, suspicions were raised about the authenticity of both the documents and the marriage itself, Nikolaou told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA).

The 41-year-old later admitted that the documents were fake and that he had never married the 19-year-old. He also identified a 29-year-old permanent resident of Cyprus as the person who arranged for the woman to come to the island and who allegedly produced the forged documents to present to the immigration office to secure legal residency.

Both the 41-year-old man and the 19-year-old woman were arrested under court warrants for conspiracy to defraud, conspiracy to commit a felony, forgery, circulating forged documents, and attempting to secure registration through false pretenses. The 29-year-old is currently wanted.