Filenews 1 June 2023
The curtain fell on another serious case that was being heard before the Permanent Assize Court of Limassol with judges imposing on the 59-year-old defendant after admitting, concurrent prison sentences with the longest one of 4.5 years on charges of theft by an employee and money laundering. This is the case of embezzlement of €315,000 by a large group of contractors and with the 59-year-old defendant having forged 274 bank cheques between August 2019 and August 5, 2021, which she redeemed and appropriated the money.
The Court took into account the personal and family circumstances of the 59-year-old, namely that she is a widow and mother of two adult children. The judgment noted that the defendant's criminal conduct was directed against her employers and that she had cruelly exploited the trust they had placed in her, which, as the Court notes, she had not honoured.
It should be noted that the defendant compensated her former employers after transferring her family home to them, with the complainants stating after this act that they have no other pecuniary claim from her. The judgment states that the repayment of the disputed amount and essentially the compensation of the damage counts favourably in her favour, but this element does not detract from the gravity of the offense. The defendant was given concurrent sentences of 3 years on the charge of theft by an employee for the amount of €84,571.34, for the same offense but for the amount of €230,693.47 a sentence of 4.5 years imprisonment.
For the charges of forgery and circulation of false documents, a sentence of 2 years, while for the offense of money laundering, a sentence of 4.5 years imprisonment.
According to facts in the case, the 59-year-old had forged 274 bank cheques between August 2019 and August 5, 2021 which she cashed and appropriated the money. From the investigation of the ICF of Limassol, it was found that every week the defendant forged 2 to 3 cheques for an amount of approximately €1,000.
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A 48-year-old man has been arrested for facilitating police investigations into an ongoing case of assisting the arrival in Cyprus of 25 people, who were found in the area of Cape Greco, on a boat that was in poor condition and sank during its towing. Those on board were safely brought ashore.
According to an announcement by the Communication Branch of the Police Headquarters shortly before 1:00 pm on Wednesday, a boat about seven meters long, carrying 13 informal migrants, 5 men and an unaccompanied minor, was spotted at a distance of 25.24 nautical miles southeast of Cape Greco.
The passengers of the boat "were picked up and transported safely by a Police Akato to Paralimni Fishing Shelter and then transferred to the Pournara Accommodation Center".
"Bad weather conditions prevailed in the area and the vessel was in poor condition and later sank while being towed," it added.
The examinations carried out "revealed testimony against a 48-year-old man, who was allegedly the driver of the boat, who was arrested, for facilitating interrogations".
The ICF of Famagusta continues the examinations.
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Pafos Live
Two minors were spotted last night driving mopeds in the area of Geroskipou. They are a 14-year-old and a 12-year-old who were stopped by members of the Pafos police department.
The motorcycles of the two minors were confiscated and their parents were called to pick them up.
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