Mark Buddle to be deported after facing court in Turkey

Bikie boss Mark Buddle has appeared in a Turkish court and will likely be deported by this weekend- but Anthony Albanese says he knows nothing about the matter.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has admitted he has no knowledge of the situation involving Australia’s most wanted man Mark Buddle and whether he will be returned home from Turkey.

Buddle, one of the nation’s biggest underworld figures and an Australia Priority Organisation Target (APOT), was taken into custody by Turkish authorities last Friday local time and is now set to be deported.

But despite the potential return to Australia - where there is a warrant for his arrest - of the boss of the Comanchero bikie gang, Prime Minister Albanese said he has not received any information from the AFP or the federal Attorney-General about the Buddle situation.

In response to a question from a News Corp journalist in Fiji, where he is attending the Pacific Island Forum, Mr Albanese used a 10-hour meeting as an excuse despite the fact the arrest of Buddle has been known for close to a week.

“I’ve been in a meeting for 10 hours … I haven’t had any briefings,” he said.

“I’m happy to come back to you tomorrow on that.”

Comancheros Boss Mark Buddle Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Buddle appeared briefly in a Turkish court just days after his sudden arrest in Northern Cyprus.

It is understood the 44-year-old appeared for only a few minutes and his fate has already been decided.

Official sources in Turkey have revealed the court has already rubber-stamped his deportation out of the country, which could take place as soon as this weekend.

However, Buddle may not be sent to Australia as there was no arrest warrant, or extradition request for him before the court.

Turkish lawyers say foreigners may be deported to their country of origin, or a transit country, or even a third country.

Under Turkish law anyone subjected to a deportation order must leave the country within 15 and 30 days subject to appeals.

Buddle, who was arrested on Saturday, is being kept in a high security prison in the capital Ankara and there has been no sight or word from him since his arrest. But he may have already been sent to a deportation centre ready for removal.

Buddle could be deported in the coming days.

According to published advice from Gökhan Cindemir of the Cindemir Law Office in Istanbul foreigners subject to a deportation order “who may abscond or disappear, who violate rules for entry into and exit from Turkey, who use fraudulent or unfounded documents, who do not leave Turkey in the granted period without an acceptable excuse, who constitute a threat to public order and security or public health shall be placed under administrative detention …”

They “ … shall be transferred by the law-enforcement unit which has apprehended the foreigner to a removal centre within 48 hours.”

The bikie boss, originally from Sydney, was grabbed in a police mission that was so discreet, no-one outside the home where he was staying saw what happened.

He was kept in police custody in Northern Cyprus on Saturday night and flown to Ankara on a one-hour direct flight late on Sunday night.

Buddle’s arrest was part of a sweeping clean out of irregular migrants who illegally entered the country, violated visa and residency regulations, worked without permits, committed fraud, or endangered public safety and security.

Buddle with his wife Mel Ter Wisscha.

It has been reported that the Turkish authorities have deported more than 28,000 irregular migrants since the beginning of the year — a 70 per cent increase on last year.

Turkish authorities have also prevented the entry of 2,616,509 foreigners attempting to illegally enter the country since 2016.

This year, 153,088 irregular migrants have been stopped from entering the country.