Pakistani national sentenced to 2 years in prison for preparing fake university documents in exchange for money

A Pakistani national who was found guilty by a north Cyprus court was sentenced to two years in prison for preparing fake document and obtaining 10,000 Euros from three individuals to enter the country.

The defendant, Zeeshan Shahzad Ali from Pakistan was sentenced to two years in prison by the Lefkosa heavy penal court on Friday February 14.

Zeeshan who was brought to court on charges of "forgery and obtaining money through fraud," admitted to all charges.

He had taken receipt of €10,000 in return for creating three forged student visas, and had also forged Pakistani high school diplomas in his own name and “put them into circulation” to be able to fraudulently enrol himself as a “student” at the institution to which he was attached between 2023 and 2024.

Delivering the verdict, the judge emphasized the severity of the offenses noting that forgery of official documents carries a sentence of up to ten years, while fraud-related crimes can lead to up to three years in prison.

The judge highlighted that the crimes were serious and had significant public interest, stressing that Ali had forged pre-authorization documents for three foreign nationals and sent them via WhatsApp, fraudulently obtaining €10,000. Additionally, he had forged diplomas under his own name to facilitate fraudulent school enrollments.

The judge underscored the importance of integrity when dealing with official documents, particularly for foreigners in a host country. Given the gravity of the crimes and their impact on public trust and state authority, the judge stated that strict and deterrent penalties were necessary.

After considering all mitigating and aggravating factors, the court unanimously sentenced Zeeshan Shahzad Ali to two years in prison.