Filenews 13 July 2024
Police have arrested a 48-year-old man in connection with the metamax pyramid case.
Testimony emerged against the 48-year-old and an arrest warrant was subsequently issued and he was wanted.
In particular, two persons appear to have identified the person in question as the person who deceived them and subsequently made a relevant complaint.
The 54-year-old, who has been in eight-day detention, was arrested for the same case on July 5, while a 63-year-old retired police officer is still wanted and an arrest warrant is still pending.
It is recalled that the complaints made to the Police by citizens that they were deceived by Metamax, exceed 50, while the total amount extorted is estimated at around €150,000.
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The Nicosia District Court approved at noon the request of the ICF Headquarters for a seven-day detention order against the 49-year-old German woman suspected of usurping Greek Cypriot property in Agios Amvrosios, Kyrenia. The German broker had already been detained for a period of four days under a decree issued after her arrest on 7 July.
The process for examining the second request began around 11:00 and was completed about an hour later. Lawyer Sotiris Argyrou, the suspect's defense lawyer, cross-examined the head of the investigation team, Lieutenant Spyros Messaritis, submitted that it is not necessary to detain his client for seven days.
Arguing in this regard, he said that the ICF Headquarters has already secured a large volume of evidence, which will be examined and therefore there is no question of tampering with the testimony, his client gave adequate explanations for everything she was asked, while she doubted that she is in a position to influence witnesses.
In fact, Mr. Argyrou put forward the position that the ICF Headquarters wants his client to be detained for such a long time, with the prospect that there will be a need to receive testimony along the way and not on the basis of real data. To that end, it relied on a reference to the text of the request for detention and cited case-law.
However, the prosecution, represented by public prosecutor Stella Nathaniel, forwarded to the District Judge, Malvina Nathaniel, a list of names of 40 people. This list was drawn up by the investigation team of the ICF Headquarters and it is obvious that it includes Greek Cypriots who own the real estate allegedly traded by the German.
The representative of the prosecution, Stella Nathanael, in her speech before the Judge's decision, among other things, defended the handling of the Police, saying that the ICF Headquarters made full use of the 4-day detention, citing the number of statements received. He also referred in detail to the remaining investigative work, wanting to demonstrate that the request for detention for seven days is fully justified.
The District Judge, Malvina Nathaniel, decided to grant the request, giving reasons for her decision. It should be noted, in fact, that he did not have to interrupt the proceedings to reach the verdict. Among other things, he referred to the prescribed conditions that must be met in order to issue detention orders. In her conclusion, the Judge noted, inter alia, that she "considered that the offences in question have been committed" and that there are reasonable suspicions that the suspect is linked to the offences under investigation. In fact, as he said, he was convinced of the intentions of the ICF Headquarters, but also that the suspect's detention time has been adequately utilized.
The proceedings were also attended by a Turkish Cypriot lawyer.
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A woman appeared in court in the north on Friday, accused of having forged a rabies certificate to import two cats from overseas.
A police representative in court said the woman was arrested at Ercan (Tymbou) airport on Wednesday, with the rabies certificates attached to her cats, both of which are Maine Coons, suspected of having been fake.
The representative said the woman had told the police the certificates had been given to her by her father and a friend in Turkey.
She had reportedly also said she intended to sell the cats.
The police representative said their investigation into the matter had concluded, and that given that the woman is studying in the north, they would be happy for her to be released on bail.
Judge Jale Erguden ordered the woman to pay a 10,000TL (€277) bail, and forbade her from leaving the north, ordering that she have all her identity and travel documents confiscated.
In addition, she must report to her local police station once every two weeks. She will also pay a 1 million TL (€27,745) bond to allow her to be tried without arrest.
A Maine Coon is a large, domesticated cat breed, which originated in the United States state of Maine. It is famed for its size and its dense coat of fur, which helps it survive the harsh winters of the US’ northeast.
People often describe it as having “dog-like” characteristics.
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Cy Mail
A 19-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of rape earlier this month was released on Friday after “contradictions” were found in the complaint filed by the woman who accused him.
The legal service ordered that he be released, stating that the complaint filed by the 18-year-old woman was “unclear and contained contradictions at essential points”.
“As a result, her testimony has been deemed to be unfounded,” they added. For this reason, they said, it would be “inappropriate” to initiate criminal proceedings.
Both parties are British nationals and both were in Ayia Napa during the early hours of July 4. The woman claimed she had met the man in a nightclub, and that he had then raped her at his apartment.
The man had then been arrested on July 6, before being remanded in custody for five days.
