A Turkish Cypriot media outlet reports that 43-year-old Alexei Sokpa, who is wanted by Greek authorities over the murder of Vangelis Zabounis, is to be remanded in custody.
According to what the Turkish Cypriot website Kıbrıs Türk Haber recorded about Sokpa’s appearance yesterday before a “military court,” the suspect is answerable for offences relating to so-called “military law.”
Based on what the report describes about the occupied north’s “criminal justice system,” a case has been filed against the 43-year-old before a “military court.” He faces four charges: “Violation of a First-Degree Military Forbidden Area”; “Illegal Entry”; “Abandonment of the Territory of the ‘TRNC’ Without Permission from the Competent Authorities”; and “Illegal Residence in the ‘TRNC.'”
As philenews recently reported, a request was made through the bicommunal group for the wanted man to be handed over to the Republic of Cyprus via the United Nations.
It remains unclear whether the occupied north’s “authorities” intend to hand him over to the Republic or opt instead for his “extradition” to Turkey.
Sokpa is reportedly a member of the “Entik” gang, and appears in videos published in Greece as one of Zabounis’s killers. He had been in the occupied areas since July 31, 2025, and is said to have used uncontrolled crossing points to enter the Republic of Cyprus.
