If your flight to Cyprus arrived at Paphos airport this week, you may spot a small private jet sitting alone on the tarmac, guarded by a security officer. The jet, owned by an American organisation, made a re-fuelling stop at Paphos airport during a flight from the Ukraine to Austria.
Cyprus customs officers boarded the plane for a routine customs inspection, only to discover, as the Famagusta Gazette reported, “a dozen suitcases” filled with almost five billion US dollars worth of bonds.
By law, the Central Bank in Nicosia should have been notified of the plane’s intended refuelling stop, and so the plane has been ordered to remain in Cyprus.
The US organisation involved insists that the bonds are worthless. Now, the US dollar has not been at its strongest in the international exchange market recently, but this is ridiculous…
Cash in Those Cyprus Pounds
Talking of worthless currency, if you have any old Cypriot pounds notes in your possession, now is the time to exchange them for Euros. South Cyprus banks will no longer exchange notes for free after the end of this month. However, the Central Bank will continue to exchange old currency notes for a fee for the next ten years, but coins will only be exchanged for a further two years.
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