Larnaca: The Assize Court in Larnaca has imposed a four-year prison sentence on four individuals who acted as members of a criminal ring that arranged sham marriages in Cyprus. These marriages were between women from Portugal and Latvia, and men from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, with the aim of securing residence permits in the Republic of Cyprus for the third-country nationals.
According to Cyprus News Agency, four of the defendants were found guilty by the Assize Court in Larnaca on July 22, 2025, on charges including conspiracy to defraud the Republic of Cyprus, assisting third-country nationals to reside in the territory for profit, participation and acceptance of the commission of crimes, and participation in a criminal organization. The sentences are concurrent.
A fifth person was convicted of obtaining a residence permit in the Republic as the spouse of a European citizen by false pretenses and was sentenced to 15 months in prison.
The case was challenging, particularly in proving the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt. Many European nationals involved in the sham marriages either changed their initial testimony or refused to testify as prosecution witnesses during the proceedings.
All prosecution witnesses were deemed credible, including three women from Portugal who testified via videoconference with the assistance of Eurojust. An inspector from the Portuguese police also provided testimony.
A press release stated that on November 24, 2020, an investigative team of the Cyprus Police was established to probe information from the Portuguese Authorities about a criminal ring arranging marriages in Cyprus between women from Portugal and Latvia and men from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
Prolonged investigations by Cypriot Authorities, supported by Europol and Eurojust, revealed that individuals from Portugal and Latvia traveled to Cyprus to engage in sham marriages with third-country nationals to secure residence permits.
A joint European operation on January 29, 2024, involving Cyprus, Portugal, and Latvia, aimed at dismantling this criminal network, resulted in 15 arrests: 13 in Cyprus, 1 in Latvia, and 1 in Portugal. Additional arrests occurred in other European countries under European arrest warrants.
Meanwhile, a case is pending before the Larnaca District Court against other arrested individuals concerning the offense of securing the registration of third-country nationals as spouses of European citizens under false pretenses.