Fugitive Comanchero bikie boss, Mark Buddle, was asked to pay bribes in the Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus to avoid being deported to Turkey, his lawyer has revealed.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Buddle’s lawyer said the bikie boss paid the bribes to stay on the Mediterranean island and be with his new wife, a local woman known only as Ozge.
But in a surprise raid, police captured Buddle on July 9 and he was deported to the Turkish capital of Ankara, where he is currently being processed before an expected handover to Australia.
In an interview published in a local paper, Buddle is said to have revealed how he was taken by surprise by the raid.
“Seven police came through the window and took me to the police station. I asked them what it was, and they said it was a deport decision about me. They didn’t show any papers. I said I wanted to go to court but I was told that the order came from internal affairs …” the paper attributed to Buddle.
In a recent statement made by the interior ministry of the self-declared republic, it was revealed that Buddle had been staying there since last August, with residence granted due to his “high income.”
However early last week, the republic’s police directorate declared Buddle’s presence was “inconvenient in terms of public peace and security.”
Australian authorities are aware of his recent deportation to Ankara and are working on his extradition.
NSW Shadow Police Minister, Walt Secord, said in a statement that the extradition could be a “lengthy process” but “it will send a strong and clear signal to other gang members that they cannot escape overseas and they will be held to account for their activities in Australia.”
Source: The Daily Telegraph.
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