Filenews 26 March 2024
After the indictment was amended from premeditated murder to manslaughter, the victim of 58-year-old Ioannis Polycarpou, the 45-year-old defendant today responded to an admission to the charge he faces.
As reported to the Assize Court, the 45-year-old's defense lawyer, lawyer Alexandros Alexandrou, asked for time to report the facts to mitigate the sentence, while Lawyer A of the Republic Andreas Hadjikyrou did not object. Therefore, the case was set for further facts and sentence on April 15, 2024.
The Court also ordered that the 45-year-old defendant remain in custody in Central Prison.
According to the history of the case, the victim was fatally injured when he was swept away on his motorcycle by a vehicle allegedly driven by the 45-year-old.
The fatal road collision occurred in the early hours of January 21, on the Avenue of the Tombs of the Kings and the driver fled the scene.
* * * * * *
Pafos Live 27 March
Police made a second arrest to facilitate investigations into an ongoing child pornography case.
He is a 25-year-old resident of Limassol, who was arrested under a court arrest warrant and detained For the same case, a second 25-year-old, who was arrested for facilitating interrogations, on March 24, is under four-day detention.
The investigation of the case began after the police received information from Europol, according to which a user of a web application, uploaded through his account in this application, a number of video files containing material of sexual abuse of minors.
* * * * * *
Last night, a 39-year-old man arrived in Larnaca on a flight from a third country.
A subsequent check found that the 39-year-old was wanted on the basis of a European arrest warrant by German authorities for the offences of participation in a criminal organisation, online crime and fraud, committed between 2019-2020 in Germany and Israel.
The 39-year-old was arrested under a provisional arrest warrant and taken into custody.
Today he is expected to be brought before the Larnaca District Court, for the initiation of extradition proceedings, German authorities.
* * * * * *
Filenews 27 March
The trial of the double murder of Ipsonas, committed on June 29, 2023, with 44-year-old Marios Onisiforou and 52-year-old Michalis Michael as victims, began today. 3 prosecution witnesses were called to testify.
They are the police officer who received oral testimony from the 54-year-old defendant before he was arrested with a court arrest warrant, forensic pathologist Nikolas Charalambous and master sergeant Zonakis Georgiou, who was present during the forensic examination and the one who proceeded to arrest the 54-year-old.
The two defendants, 49-year-old S.A. and 54-year-old A.K., were once again brought to the Assize Court, under draconian security measures. The request for trial in trial submitted by the lawyer of the 54-year-old defendant was accepted by the Limassol Assize Court. The request was based on whether or not the 54-year-old consented to have buccal swabs and other samples sampled by a forensic pathologist while he was not under arrest.
The defendant's lawyer, Efstathios Efstathiou, claims that his client's arrest and detention took place illegally since no arrest warrant had been issued by the Court. It is his position that his client was confined for 4 hours at the ICF of Limassol without being arrested.
The trial began with the testimony of the constable Evi Prokopiou, who serves at the ICF of Limassol. During her examination, the witness referred to the actions she took following instructions received from the head of the ICF of Limassol, Lefteris Kyriakou. He claimed, among other things, that before taking a statement, he gave the 54-year-old the relevant suspects' rights form, which he signed. It is a 10-page form which was submitted as evidence in the proceedings.
Prokopiou also indicated that the 54-year-old signed the document in question and at the point of his signature, there is a time and date. The medical examination consent document, which also bears the signature of the 54-year-old defendant, was also submitted to the Court as evidence. It is a document given to the 54-year-old by the above witness.
Mrs. Prokopiou was asked to refer to the energy diary and what was recorded by her, from 04:20 to 06:00. The witness read verbatim the relevant diary and what the 54-year-old told her verbally.
In his oral testimony, the 54-year-old claimed that when he left the pub with his 49-year-old friend and co-defendant, around 2am, they were approached by two men from behind. When they turned around to see what was happening, they pepper spray in their eyes. He said he did not know who sprayed them or if they were customers of the pub. The 54-year-old interviewee verbally said that they wanted to go to Polemidia Station to report the attack with pepper spray and the damage to the vehicle, but they were caught up by the police.
During her cross-examination by the lawyer, Efstathios Efstathiou, the witness was asked to answer a series of questions, with the lawyer insisting in which ICF Limassol office his client's oral statement was taken and whether he was surrounded by members of the force. The witness said the 54-year-old was not in custody, but said he had not told her he wanted to leave.
Forensic pathologist Nicholas Charalambous said he was summoned by the ICF to examine the 54-year-old after the latter expressed a desire to be examined following his claims that he was sprayed in his eyes and beaten. He noted that the examination was done to determine whether his allegations were true.
For his part, the sergeant major, Zonakis Georgiou, during his testimony said that he was present at the forensic examination. Responding to the instructions he received from the head of the ICF of Limassol, he said that he had to arrange for the 54-year-old to be taken to the photo lab to be examined by the coroner, after claiming that he was assaulted. The representative of the Prosecution indicated a document to the witness with the written consent of the 54-year-old to take buccal samples and measurements.
The witness stated that the accused read and signed the relevant document. After the forensic examination was completed, Sergeant Major Georgiou said he proceeded to arrest the 54-year-old following a court arrest warrant that had been issued.
The case continues with the testimony of two more witnesses next Friday.
* * * * * *
The case file, in relation to alleged money laundering, was forwarded to the Legal Service today at a Limassol hearing, while the two suspects were released until the completion of the examinations.
According to police sources, the ICF Limassol is awaiting instructions from the Legal Service, which will examine the case file and the investigative work so far.
The two suspects, 41 and 34 years old, who had been arrested and detained since March 14, were released yesterday pending the completion of examinations, as according to the same sources, much investigative work remains in relation to their claims about the origin of the money.
It is recalled that the police placed the gallery under surveillance after receiving information that it was operating as a "front for money laundering" and that the 41-year-old Russian co-owner illegally exchanged money for euros or other currency with fellow businessmen and other foreign investors for a commission.
Members of the Limassol OPE stopped the 34-year-old, the second suspect, for inspection after he was seen leaving the gallery and in his possession were found 17 envelopes, containing a total of €161,425. A search of the gallery followed, where they found €706,300, 22,539 US dollars, 1,375 pounds, two banknote counting machines, as well as empty paper envelopes.
The 41-year-old claims that the transfer of money related to his business activities in 20 restaurants he co-owns and that the money in the gallery, which he co-owns with his wife, is for a down payment to buy a house in the Germasogeia area.
The 34-year-old also claimed that he transported envelopes of money on behalf of the 41-year-old for a commission and that he delivered them after the recipient told him a specific code.
However, in a second statement, he refuted the initial claim that he worked for the first suspect, said they were very good friends and that he was receiving financial assistance for his services. He said he handed over the envelopes to people from Ukraine and Russia, a bar owned by the 41-year-old, a parking lot in the tourist Germasogeia and a supermarket parking lot.
The Police have also requested the assistance of the Unit for Combating Cover-Up Offences (MOKAS) to investigate the possible connection of the two suspects with illegal activities.
