Man who failed to comply with a court order and fled north Cyprus, arrested on return to the island 25 years later

A man who jumped a bail order and fled north Cyprus more than 25 years ago was arrested on his return to the country this week.

The suspect, Adnan Öcan a Turkish national was arrested on Tuesday February 11 at the Girne tourism port for failing to comply with the court order.

The suspect was brought to court on Wednesday.

Police officer who spoke in court said the suspect had been released on bail on March 25, 1999, after being charged with theft by a trustee and fraudulently obtaining credit.

The police further explained that the suspect applied to the court on April 14, 1999, to leave the country for one month. Following a court decision on bail modification, he departed on April 15, 1999. However, he failed to return within the given period, thereby violating the court order.

The police reported that the suspect was detected and arrested on February 11, 2025, upon entering the country through the Girne tourism port. 

Stating that the investigation against the suspect had been completed, the police requested that he remain in custody pending trial.

After evaluating the testimony before the court, the judge ordered that the suspect be remanded in prison for a period not exceeding 45 days.