Pafos Live 20 July 2024
Two foreign workers in the Polis Chrysochous apartment were injured after a fierce fight.
Both have been injured and are being treated at Paphos Hospital. According to police, they used knives and other sharp objects.
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Filenews 19/20 July
The Larnaka Assize Court today sentenced a 24-year-old man to 6 years in prison after finding him guilty on charges of illegal possession of drugs with the intention of supplying to other persons.
The 24-year-old had been arrested on December 27, 2023 when members of the YKAN stopped the car driven by the convict for inspection.
During the search of the vehicle, a nylon package containing cocaine, weighing approximately 256 grams, and two nylon packages containing cannabis plant matter, weighing a total of approximately 10 grams, were found, while a subsequent search of his residence found another 38 grams of cocaine, as well as a small quantity of crystal methamphetamine weighing two grams.
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The Anti-Narcotics Service (YKAN) of the Police records successes, based on what is broadcast in official press releases. Between January this year and the first ten days of July, the agency seized some 300 kilograms of narcotic substances.
According to official data cited in an interesting report (offsite.com), of these 300 kilos, 250 are cannabis. At the same time, the amount of cocaine seized for the same period of time reaches five kilograms.
The work of YKAN should not be underestimated. And certainly the seizures he made in 2024 are not negligible. However, if we want to serve Cypriot society, but also to treat YKAN with respect – and not with ear caress, we must emphasize a bitter truth. The cocaine trade is one of the most serious crimes in Cyprus, but so far we seem incapable of tackling it.
The global crime index, compiled by a large group of experts and analysing official Interpol data, ranks the problem of drug trafficking, especially cocaine, as one of the largest on the island (along with migration and human trafficking).
The report (published in November 2023) states that "the cocaine trade is one of the largest criminal commercial networks in Cyprus".
The analysis is impressive, as it includes accurate reports that confirm what we ignorant people knew about the subject: "Guided by international customers, cocaine mainly enters the country on passenger flights or air transport from Latin America, Belgium or the Netherlands. Although local cocaine use is low, the highest levels are found in the tourist areas of Ayia Napa and Paralimni. The criminals involved in the trade are mostly well-established Cypriot groups, but they also cooperate with other nationalities."
Experts from the Geneva-based organization are becoming even more specific about how the drug enters the island: "The cocaine trade in Cyprus involves the use of legal channels, the owners of which are either directly involved or receive bribes to allow organized criminal groups to operate under the radar. They often use middlemen, including people with financial problems, who are paid to receive and transport packages of cocaine."
Certainly, therefore, the five kilos that have been confiscated by the YKAN and while we have entered the summer months for good, so demand is always increased in tourist resorts such as those of Ayia Napa and Paralimni, do not solve the problem. On the contrary, they show how acute it is and that there is little room for wishful thinking in the case. We will therefore expect similar actions. We repeat: The difficult task of YKAN should not be nullified. But neither should we be fooled by superficial approaches that disorient.
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For many hours, with high tones on the part of the defense lawyers, the process of renewing the detention of the two suspects, the 54-year-old alleged leader and the 48-year-old from Paphos, who are in custody for the pyramid fraud case under investigation, was completed.
An investigator in the case asked for the renewal of the suspects' detention for another 4 days, until Tuesday, when the request for detention of the 63-year-old retired police officer expires, but lawyers raised strong objections.
The judge of the Limassol District Court, Doria Varosiotou, after about five hours of proceedings, approved the request to renew the detention of the two suspects for a period of 4 days, rejecting the objections raised before her. She noted that the case-law requirements for renewing detention are met. She pointed out that the public interest is to let the police collect and complete their work.
The lawyer of the 54-year-old suspect during her speech argued that today's request by the police is abusive since her client is re-arrested with the same offenses of the previous application, which she said is prohibited.
It is worth mentioning that during today's proceedings before the Limassol District Court, phrases were said that offend the area of Justice, with the Judge reacting and making a remark and the lawyer apologizing before her.
The two suspects from the examinations so far have a separate role and appear not to be related to each other, but they are allegedly involved in the investment pyramid case under investigation. The position of the 54-year-old suspect, alleged leader, is aggravating since he is named in many victims' statements.
In the hands of the authorities there is also important evidence such as photos, conversations, messages and videos that burn him. In fact, according to the examination of the case, just today a relevant usb related to a seminar that took place in Paphos was delivered by a person to the Paphos Police and is expected to be studied.
The leader's claims are contradicted
According to what the examiner of the case, Lieutenant Panagiotis Mouridis, of the Financial Crime Expansion Office of the Limassol Police Authority, said, what the 54-year-old suspect and alleged leader claimed in his testimony contradicts what the victims denounce. The 54-year-old suspect denied trying to persuade people to sign up for Metamax and invest, as well as organising seminars. He admitted, however, that he attended some meetings.
Does not cooperate and does not unlock their phones
In addition, the 54-year-old said that a total of 180,000 USDT had been credited to the account but only €60,000 was able to withdraw after the platform was shut down, which the examiner said, after initially being questioned claimed to have won €130,000.
The 54-year-old claimed under questioning that his trip to the Philippines cost around €25,000. He also refused to give the passwords of his two smartphones, which makes it difficult for the police to confirm or deny his claims, as noted by the investigator of the case. Among other things, it said that the 54-year-old suspect refused to state his place of residence, claiming that he was in danger from persons who were deceived.
The suspect's statements, however, contradict what the victims said in their statements. In particular, there is evidence in the hands of investigators that the suspect sent videos from the Philippines showing the greatness and international reach of Metamax.
He threatened those who expressed concern
According to the oath of request, the 54-year-old suspect, when a member expressed concerns about the future of the company, in a threatening tone, told them to leave his team and he would stay with the other members who would receive the big money.
He sent them a link to withdraw money but he was fraudulent
It is worth mentioning the 54-year-old suspect's attempt on the day withdrawals from Metamax accounts were locked, to reassure members that everything is going well.
Between June 25 and July 1 and after the platform was shut down, the 54-year-old suspect sent messages on the Telegram platform and tried to influence members by telling them not to panic. In fact, he urged them to follow a link he sent through which they could withdraw money. As the investigator noted, this link was fraudulent, because the currency into which the money they had in their Metamax account would supposedly be converted had no value since in a close look at the photo posted by the 54-year-old suspect on the Telegram group, at the point "value" the value was zero.
The suspect, according to the examiner, mocked people who demanded their money back after the collapse of the investment pyramid.
The application for renewal of the detention refers to a case of a person from Nigeria where those involved urged him to leave his job in order to get serious and devote himself to Metamax.
In relation to the 48-year-old suspect, the investigator said that the person in question spoke at a seminar organised in Paphos, while the main presenter was a woman from Nicosia. The 48-year-old had written 30 people under him and appeared to have a Telegram group.
To date, 133 statements have been received, of which 103 are complaints from victims, while another 63 statements are expected to be received and an investigation will be conducted. In relation to the 48-year-old suspect, attempts are being made to obtain statements from some persons who had attended the seminar organized at a Paphos hotel.
Surveys in six countries and islands
Investigators in the case sent a request to Interpol for tests in several countries including Greece, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Malta, the Philippines and Colombia. MOKAS has also been informed and examinations are being carried out in cooperation with the Fraud Units of other countries. Research decrees were issued to banking institutions in Cyprus as well as online banks and platforms based abroad. Financial investigations are ongoing for all suspects. Research is also being done to identify the exact amount invested and where the money has ended up. Court order requests have also been sent for Canada and the Philippines, while a European search order will be sent for Greece and a search request for the Cayman Islands.
The offence of extortion of money was withdrawn
Lieutenant Panagiotis Mouridis noted that a new arrest warrant was issued against the 54-year-old first suspect and he was rearrested after the offence of extorting money by false representations, which is not sufficiently substantiated, was withdrawn.
Lieutenant Panagiotis Mourides pointed out that in relation to the 54-year-old suspect, it is not excluded that he may flee abroad since, as he said, he is in danger in Cyprus.
For their part, the two defense lawyers of the two suspects objected to the further detention of their clients. They blasted the examiner and head of the investigation team in a multitude of questions, while in some cases the intervention of the judge, Doria Varoshiotou, was required, calling on the lawyers to remain in the request since the substance of the case is not examined at the detention stage. The two suspects are being investigated for the offences of conspiracy to commit a felony, scheme to promote a pyramid scheme and money laundering.
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It paves the way for the trial of the terrorism case, which made headlines in Israeli media in September 2021 and has 41-year-old Azerbaijani Orhan Asandov as its central figure, entering a meaningful stage.
The latter is accused -among other things- of being politically motivated and received $ 40,000 to plan and execute a terrorist attack in Cyprus, recruiting people of Muslim origin and targeting five people from Israel.
Last week, the Nicosia Permanent Assize Court, in an interim decision following a "trial within trial", rejected an objection by the lawyers of the three defendants. That objection was raised by defence lawyers in October 2023, at the start of the hearing and, specifically, with the testimony under oath of the first prosecution witness.
He was a member of the Police who handled evidence of the case. The latter had deposited a digital disc with data derived from Asadov's telephone device. The defense immediately raised the issue of the legality of obtaining the records in question, raising the issue of constitutional and other issues that render the testimony tainted.
The Court, however, in its 38-page verdict concluded that the testimony was obtained lawfully in full compliance with the provisions of the Constitution and without violating the rights of the main defendant, Orhan Asadov. Consequently, the three-judge judiciary notes that the rights of the other two defendants are not affected either. "In conclusion, the objection is rejected in its entirety," the judgment concluded.
Now, and following the aforementioned development, the trial is expected to proceed to a substantive stage, almost three years after the arrest of the accused. It should be noted here that the case was registered on November 5, 2021.
The legal battle
The case is of interest not only because of the events surrounding it, but also from a legal point of view. It is indicative of the content of the decision last week, part of which is known to "F" and we present in this publication. Please note that the trial is taking place behind closed doors.
The objection, as we noted, arose when a prosecution witness submitted as evidence a digital disc containing files of visual material (image and video) and locations. The issue raised by the defence lawyers in requesting a trial within a trial was based on two pillars.
They argued that the files in question were the content of a private communication and that the police gained access to them before obtaining either his written consent or a court order. In addition, it was argued that the content of the two mobile phones of the now 41-year-old Azerbaijani with a Russian passport concerns sensitive personal data as defined in the Constitution.
There was also talk of constitutional violations related to racial and ethnic origin and religious beliefs. The lawyer of the second accused, 30-year-old Pakistani Muzafar Abbas, based on the above positions, argued that police investigators were led to locate his client on the basis of the above alleged violations of the Police.
Therefore, as he argued, any testimony secured is contaminated, He invoked the principle of "the fruit of the poisoned tree." The same position was put forward by the defense counsel of the third defendant, as the lawyer of the latter said that the Police were taken to her client after receiving a statement from the second accused.
The representative of the prosecution did not object to the holding of a trial within a trial, for which the Court lit green in its interim decision (11/10/2023). As part of this process, experts called by the prosecution and Asadov's lawyers testified. Specifically, two specialized police officers and a specialist from Ukraine who cooperates with the authorities of his country, respectively, were examined and cross-examined.
It should be noted that the prosecutor of the Republic, Polina Efthyvoulou, who appears for the prosecution, argued that the extraction of video, image and location files from Asadov's two mobile phones, which were extracted and given to the investigation team for use (before obtaining an order to access, inspect and receive private communication data), They do not constitute private communication content.
He explained that these were not extracted from any of the latter's conversations, but were already content stored on his mobile phones.
At the same time, Efthyvoulou pointed out that the terrorist offences for which the defendants are being prosecuted are of such a form and nature that their religious beliefs are inextricably linked to them, since the motives for terrorist attacks are, presumably, religious.
The Court in its decision, after first recording its assessment of the three witnesses, who made a good impression on it, concluded that it has not been established from the testimony produced that the actions of the Police violated the Constitutional rights of Asadov, accepting the positions of the prosecution.
The Court's decision, however, confirms that the Police's tactic of extracting data from captive mobile phones (forensic copying and analysis process) in order to secure them is not in any way irregular.
In the present case, the Police on 27/9/2021 made copies of the data on the defendant's mobile phones and GoPro camera, while on 07.10.2021 they obtained an order to access, inspect and receive data that constitute content of private communication.
Asadov is represented by Kostis Efstathiou, Efstathios K. Efstathiou and Giorgos Kalogeridis, while the second defendant, 30-year-old Muzafar Abbas, is Panos Paphitis. The third defendant, 29, is defended by Kassandra Koupari.
The indictment shows him acting as an agent
- Four passports and interceptions of five Israelis
The terrorism case arose after Asadov's arrest on 9/27/2021, with reports in Israel linking her to Iranian intelligence.
She was registered on November 5, 2021 with a total of six defendants, while her hearing began on July 6, 2023. Two defendants were acquitted at an early stage. They were judged not to have been actively involved.
A third person, a 22-year-old Cypriot university student originally from Lebanon, was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for three years and has become a prosecution witness.
According to the charges, the police believe that Asadov was in Cyprus for months (between April and September 2021) – often going to the occupied areas – and attempted to plan and implement a terrorist attack.
Of the approximately 50 charges initially included in the indictment, at least 40 relate to him. It follows from this that the authorities believe that he acted as an agent. He is alleged to have used four fake Russian passports and an equal number of fake driver's licenses, had a pistol in his possession and maintained links with anti-Zionist organizations.
One of the charges said that Asadov received $40,000 in Cyprus from a person named Mohammed to commit terrorism. Information on the case says the primary target was an Israeli-hailed businessman who enjoys international recognition.
During the period in question, he resided permanently on our island, from where he managed his businesses. The list of five targets includes a person who was allegedly an official in the tycoon's companies.
More specifically, this is a person who served as Chief Financial Officer in his corporate Group and consequently was a key partner. The names of the five Israeli citizens who resided permanently in Cyprus are also included in the case file.
In September 2022, one year after Azerbaijan's arrest, he admitted a large number of charges related to offences of forgery and possession of weapons. He denies charges related to terrorism, conspiracy to commit murder and money laundering.
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The amount of €169,150 was received from the usurpation of land in Agios Amvrosios, Kyrenia, by the 49-year-old German real estate agent who advertised properties in the occupied areas on her professional website in her homeland.
The amount is indisputable based on the investigative work of the ICF Headquarters, as it was presented yesterday in court, but also according to what the German admitted in her investigative testimony.
However, the ICF Headquarters claims that this money comes from commissions, while the 49-year-old claims that it is money for advertising. This will, in any case, be clarified by the trial at the Assize Court.
According to the testimony collected by the police, the €169,150 comes from the sale of five units in the "Olive Tree" building complex erected in Agios Amvrosios by the company of Turkish Cypriot businessman Ali Kayim.
According to the inquest, the 49-year-old sold the five units to an equal number of German nationals. Indeed, the investigative work of the Police seems to have progressed quite a bit, as based on the indictment, it has identified all five German nationals to whom the real estate was sold.
The German realtor herself, however, admitted that she was paid this amount, but it came from the advertising promotion she did for the "Olive Tree" project and not from the sale of tourist units.
The 49-year-old faces a total of 56 charges, with the heaviest sentence if convicted is 7 years in prison. Of the 56 offences, 22 concern an equal number of persons of Greek Cypriot origin, who own the land where the illegal development took place and are directly affected by this case.
As filenews had previously announced, yesterday morning a case was registered against the 49-year-old, who was also served with the indictment. The first appearance at the Nicosia Assize Court was set for September 17. Until then, he will be held on trial.
The prosecution was represented in yesterday's proceedings by Antigone Michael, who requested that the accused be detained as an undertrial. She referred to the seriousness of the offenses, the content of the investigative work and her position that the 49-year-old has no ties to the Republic and therefore the possibility of absconding from justice is possible.
The defense lawyer, Sotiris Argyrou, for his part, objected and countered a series of arguments, based -among other things- on the fact that his client did not know that the property in the occupied area belonged to Greek Cypriots.
She stressed that she acted in good faith and is in a sense a victim of the situation. He explained that if she had known the real estate was illegal, she would not have bought a housing unit from businessman Ali Kayim.
He also referred to the 49-year-old's cooperation with the authorities of the Republic. He recommended that his client be released under strict conditions, saying she was able to deposit a bail of €100,000 in cash.
The District Judge, Nicole Gregoriou, after a break in the proceedings, announced her verdict approving the prosecution's request to keep the defendant on trial.
Justifying her decision, she focused on the testimony obtained by the ICF Headquarters (two box files were handed to her), which she described as "strong" to such an extent that the defendant was likely to be convicted. It also ruled that the 49-year-old has no ties to the Republic of Cyprus, citing Supreme Court case law.
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