A High Court judge has ruled that a man forged a will and a marriage certificate in an attempt to claim his late partner's £500,000 estate. Cengiz Arif produced a document purporting to be the last will of Kassy Sinar, who died of breast cancer in October 2023 at age 46, leaving everything to him. He also claimed the couple had secretly married in Cyprus in 2006.
Ms Sinar's 2022 will left her entire estate in trust for her 16-year-old daughter Jocey. Her brother Ernest Sinar challenged the 2023 will and marriage certificate in court. Chief Master Karen Shuman found both documents were forgeries, upholding the 2022 will and ordering Arif to pay £206,000 in legal costs.
The court heard that Ms Sinar, from Manchester, had a cleaning business and owned properties in Finsbury Park and Burnley. She had described her relationship with Arif as 'abusive and toxic'. They split between 2011 and 2018, and she had refused his marriage proposal. Arif banned her family from her funeral and later claimed the fake marriage to support the forged will.
The judge noted the marriage certificate was invalid as Turkish authorities confirmed no wedding occurred on the claimed date. She described Arif's explanation of the 2023 will as 'preposterous' and 'incredible', noting the signature was clearly not Ms Sinar's. Arif did not attend court to defend the case.
