Filenews 26 April 2024
The case of serial robberies of women in Limassol, including a 73-year-old woman, must be considered solved.
As philenews learns, a short while ago one of the three Turkish Cypriot arrested admitted to men of the Crime Prevention Unit the commission of the offences. The three Turkish Cypriots under arrest are two 21-year-olds and a 17-year-old.
A total of seven women were robbed in the last 24 hours. It started yesterday when the bags of a 73-year-old, a 71-year-old and a 49-year-old woman were stolen.
Today the rest of the robberies followed. In one case, the perpetrators threw down a woman, while causing a car crash with the motorcycle they were on, fleeing the scene.
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Suspect in a total of eight cases of arson of premises and vehicles, is a 44-year-old man from a village in the Nicosia district, who, according to the Police, allegedly acted in his own way.
He would go by and film the targets with his cell phone, and a few hours later the arsons were happening. The 44-year-old had been in custody since last week on suspicion of three arson counts. However, after examinations, he is allegedly linked by police to five others.
Today the suspect was brought back to court as a suspect in the five new cases and an eight-day detention order was issued against him.
As told in court by the investigator of the case, Sergeant of the ICF of Nicosia Costas Papageorgiou, from the findings of the investigators, it appears that for three cases of arson, the suspect was videotaping and / or photographing the vehicles, houses and places, where after a few hours the above arsons occurred, while in another case the video recording takes place a few hours after the arson of a vehicle.
He also said that a video file was found regarding another case, where the suspect on 15/04/2024 appears to pass outside a workshop driving his motorcycle and holding in his possession a mobile phone facing the car repair shop, in which arson was set at dawn on 16/04/2024. This event was also recorded on CCTV received from the scene.
The first three cases concerned the arson of 12 cars in a workshop in Nicosia, as well as two premises – a café and a café – also in Nicosia.
The new cases concern the arson of a car, owned by a 43-year-old man, shortly after 4.30 am on November 05, 2023, in Nicosia, with the fire spreading and causing damage to two other cars parked at the site.
–The arson of a car, owned by a 55-year-old man, at around 4.30 am on November 20, 2023, in Aglantzia,
–The arson of a car, owned by a 68-year-old man, shortly after 5.00 am on November 26, 2023, in Strovolos,
– The arson of a car, owned by a 47-year-old woman, shortly after 5.30 am on January 10, 2024, in Engomi,
– The arson of a car, owned by a 50-year-old man, shortly after 5.00 in the morning, on March 24, 2024, in Paliometocho.
The suspect, on the advice of a lawyer, did not report anything.
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There are numerous developments in relation to the investigations of the Committee on Ethics and Protection of Sports into possible offences in the sport of football.
As it became known yesterday, last Wednesday the report of the investigating officials on the refereeing and manipulation of football matches was forwarded by the Legal Service to the Police for criminal investigation, while as "F" is informed, the issue of investigating the complaints of a Ukrainian investor against agents of a football club in Pafos is being completed.
In particular, with regard to the findings of lawyers Elias Stephanou and Efthymios Th. Efthymiou, who had been entrusted with the investigation into Cypriot arbitration and possible manipulation of football matches, the Ethics Committee had forwarded it on March 21 to the Legal Service along with the accompanying witness material. After evaluation by competent legal officers, it was considered that the findings are such as to warrant criminal investigation. In fact, on Wednesday the Legal Service forwarded the entire report to the police force, for this purpose.
This is the second report of Stefanos and Efthymiou forwarded to the Police. The two lawyers, investigating within the framework of their terms of reference the issues of Cypriot arbitration and possible match manipulation, came to conclusions regarding the role of the president of the Cyprus Football Federation, George Koumas. After broadening their terms of reference, they investigated this aspect and drafted a relevant report which they submitted to the Ethics Committee on 26/9/2023. As for their findings, as "F" had revealed, they seem to have concluded that Mr. Koumas had a triple incompatibility (see his business activities) and on the basis of this he was able to manipulate the league.
Regarding the finding in relation to the top executive of Cypriot football, the Police have already received statements (preceded by an evaluation of the findings by an Ethics Committee and the Legal Service). The work of the ICF Headquarters investigators is assisted by the former senior district judge, Alexandra Lycourgou. A source told us that the criminal investigation into the incompatibility of the CFA president is ongoing.
In the coming week, the report of the investigating officer, former police official, Stavros Stavrou, is expected to be delivered in relation to a complaint by a Ukrainian investor in a Cypriot football club. The investor in question had accused Greek Cypriot officials of squandering club money, using the football team to make profits and that in at least one case there had been match manipulation. The complaint had come to light last January on Social Media (the officials denied it in a statement) and when its content was brought to the attention of the officials of the Sports Ethics and Protection Committee, it was decided to investigate ex officio, although the complainant had claimed to have reported the case to the Police.
Mr. Stavrou's investigation into this case, as we are informed, has been completed and the report remains to be drafted, which is expected to be delivered to the Ethics Committee within the next week.
Yesterday included a development of great importance for the sport of shooting and for Cypriot sport in general. The Ethics Committee announced – apparently on the basis of the findings of its investigations for the Cyprus Shooting Federation – that in its opinion the last three championships of SKOK (2022, 2023 and 2024) are invalid and their results have no legitimacy. In fact, the Commission has already informed the Cyprus Sports Organisation in writing and intends to send relevant letters to the international shooting federations and the International Olympic Committee.
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In the context of investigating a case of assisting third-country nationals to enter the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, members of the Famagusta ICF proceeded today to the arrest on the basis of a court warrant of a 29-year-old man for the purposes of police examinations.
The 29-year-old arrested appeared later today before the Famagusta District Court, which issued a five-day detention order.
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