Police officer Ebrar Kiriş presented the facts in court, stating that on May 31, 2024, around 04:00, the suspect was at Ercan Airport’s X-ray machine known as Kale 12, attempting to exit the TRNC while carrying 24,500 USD in cash, exceeding the limit of 10,000 Euros or equivalent foreign currency or Turkish Lira, thus violating the “Currency and Foreign Exchange Law”.
The police reported that the suspect was caught in the act and arrested, and the 24,500 USD found was confiscated as evidence. The police added that the suspect resides in Azerbaijan and was in the TRNC as a tourist. The police officer revealed that the suspect claimed in her statement that she had won the money by gambling in four different casinos. The police officer requested three days to examine the casino camera footage to determine if the money was indeed won there and to investigate the source and manner in which the money was obtained. Evaluating the testimony before her, Judge Zehra Yalkut Bilgeç ordered the suspect to be detained for three days.
The subsequent investigation into Ulkar Tifan Qızı Alishova determined that the money in the suspect’s possession was not the proceeds of crime. The suspect was only charged with violating the “Currency and Foreign Exchange Law” and was released without bail. The investigation confirmed that the money in her possession was not laundered money, following her testimony that she had won the money from four different casinos.
