Daughter's Facebook photograph and expat informers helped police track down man wanted over VAT scam
One of Britain's most wanted men has been arrested in northern Cyprus after being given away by expats and a telling Facebook photograph.
Michael Voudouri, who confessed to secreting away more than £10m in accounts in Cyprus, Greece and Switzerland as part of a complex VAT scam before he skipped bail 14 months ago, was tracked down by police after his 26-year-old daughter posted a photo of herself on one of the island's beaches.
"That's when British authorities first got in touch with us requesting help," said a police source in the Turkish-run territory, a bolthole for British criminals as it has no extradition treaty with the UK.
Voudouri, 46, from Bridge of Allan, Stirlingshire, who holds dual Cypriot and British nationality, was seized after allegedly being discovered with a bogus passport. Officials said he was expected to remain in custody while he was investigated in what is being described as a case of identity theft and illegal entry. If found guilty he will be deported to Turkey and from there returned to Britain.
He had been living the high life, renting a luxury four-bedroom villa in the seaside town of Famagusta with his wife and two daughters. It is believed that other expats informed on him after they discovered that the jovial character they had come to know as Paul was a criminal at large.
"We have some very good informers," the police source told the Guardian. "They are law-abiding people and they want to help clear up our country's reputation."
Crimestoppers and the National Crime Agency have previously appealed for help in trying to locate wanted individuals in the territory. "There has been a tremendous response from expats living in the north of Cyprus who are uncomfortable with convicted criminals living in their community," said a British high commission spokesman in Nicosia. "It's put a lot of pressure on people who are wanted."
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