Pafos Live 9 July 2024
The Pafos District Court yesterday handed down concurrent prison sentences to a 39-year-old Greek Cypriot from a village in Paphos, following a trial in the case of causing fire and destruction of the Christmas Tree in Paphos Municipality last January. With a longer prison sentence of 14 months for the offence of causing malicious damage to property, the 39-year-old was found guilty of committing the offences of destroying the Christmas Tree.
According to the evidence collected during the investigation of the case by the Police and presented by the Prosecution before the District Court, at around 3.15 am on Wednesday, 03 January, a fire broke out at the Christmas Tree, which was located in Kennedy Square, Paphos. The Christmas Tree was completely destroyed by the fire, which was extinguished by members of the Fire Brigade.
The examinations carried out by the ICF of Pafos revealed evidence against the 39-year-old, in relation to the fire and destruction of the Christmas Tree. A judicial arrest warrant was issued against the 39-year-old, under which he was arrested by members of the Pafos OPE, who located him shortly before midnight on Friday, 05 January, in an area of the Paphos district.
Upon completion of the police examinations, the Police proceeded on January 10, to register the case before the Pafos District Court for trial. The 39-year-old remained in custody as an undertrial for trial. His 14-month prison sentence has been in effect since January 10.
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A fire that broke out yesterday morning, in a rural area of Limassol, appears to have been caused during work with emery, carried out by a 26-year-old man. The fire was extinguished by the 26-year-old himself, after it burned 50 square meters of dry vegetation.
Specifically, around 10.30 am on Monday, a fire broke out in a rural area of the village of Fasoula, in the Limassol district. Members of the Police who were on special patrol duty to prevent fires rushed to the area. Subsequent police examinations revealed that while a 26-year-old man was engaged in cutting irons using emery, a fire broke out at the scene in dry grass. The fire was extinguished by the 26-year-old himself. It burned dry vegetation, in an area of 50 square meters.
The 26-year-old was summoned by the members of the Police and presented himself at the local Kalo Chorio Police Station for police examinations. After being questioned, he was charged in writing and released, while he is expected to be summoned before a court upon completion of the examinations, for a trial case of negligent acts and causing fire.
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A 39-year-old man was arrested yesterday by members of the Police, pursuant to a court warrant, in connection with an investigated case of car arson, committed last Friday, 05 July, in the Limassol district. The case is being investigated by the ICF of Limassol.
According to the data under investigation, around 4.00 am on Friday, a fire broke out in a car of a 34-year-old man, which was parked in a car park, in the area of Pano Polemidia. The fire was extinguished by members of the Fire Brigade, while from the examinations made at the scene by members of the Fire Brigade and the Police, it was found that the fire in the vehicle had been set maliciously.
During the investigation of the case by the ICF of Limassol, evidence emerged against the 39-year-old. He was arrested by ICF members, with a court arrest warrant, at around 8.00 am on Monday and was brought before the Limassol District Court for a detention order. The District Court approved the police's request and issued a three-day detention order against the 39-year-old for the purpose of investigating the arson case.
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The Larnaca Permanent Assize Court yesterday imposed a six-year prison sentence on a 44-year-old man, following a drug trafficking case. The case concerns the possession for the purpose of supplying to another person, a quantity of cannabis with a gross weight of approximately six kilos, which was found in the possession of the 44-year-old and seized by members of the Anti-Narcotics Service – YKAN, last March, in Larnaca.
On March 22, in particular, shortly before 7.00 pm, members of the YKAN stopped the 44-year-old for inspection, while he was traveling by car, in an area of Larnaka. The passenger in the vehicle was a 17-year-old. In a search of their vehicle, five nylon packages containing cannabis, with a total gross weight of approximately six kilograms, were found in the rear seats, as well as on the floor behind the driver's seat, (Police Bulletin No. 1, dated 23/03/2024, relevant).
The 44-year-old and 17-year-old were arrested and detained for police questioning. Upon completion of the police examinations, the drug trafficking case was registered by the Police before the Larnaca Permanent Assize Court for trial. The trial of the case against the 17-year-old continues.
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Pafos Press
The Paphos Police are investigating a case of common assault, threat, concern, public insult and resisting lawful arrest against a 41-year-old Israeli who was arrested yesterday early afternoon at Paphos International Airport.
According to the Assistant Police Director of Paphos Operations, Michalis Nikolaou, yesterday July 8 around 14:20 in the afternoon a 41-year-old man from Israel who was in the area of Paphos airport, ready to depart for his homeland, was arrested for provocation disturbance and assault on a police officer.
The suspect, according to the Police, was causing concern by shouting inside the airport. As Mr. Nikolaou mentioned, members of the Police approached the Israeli, indicating to him to calm down and stop shouting, but he continued to behave in the same way while also attacking the members of the Police, pushing, insulting and threatening them.
The suspect, who resisted his arrest, was arrested for the above self-inflicted offenses and today he will be brought before the District Court of Pafos to be accused in writing. It should be noted that with his arrest, the 41-year-old also missed his return flight to his homeland.
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The sum of €46,810 was collected yesterday Monday by the Paphos Police in the context of a coordinated operation to execute warrants which were pending throughout the District.
According to the Assistant Police Director of Paphos, Michalis Nikolaou, members of the Paphos Police Directorate carried out a campaign to execute outstanding warrants. As Mr. Nikolaou reported to KYPE, during the campaign a total of 171 fine warrants were executed and the sum of €46,810 was collected.
Corresponding campaigns are often organized by the ADE Paphos during which dozens of warrants are executed and tens of thousands of euros are collected. The warrants executed concern various categories of debts such as traffic and criminal offences, Social Insurance debts as well as alimony and private criminal cases.
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Filenews
The report of the investigating Police officer on possible errors and omissions of members of the force in the Pafos Directorate during the critical period of femicide in Tremithousa on June 14, has been completed and imputes disciplinary responsibilities.
The report has been handed over to the Minister of Justice and Public Order and it identifies responsibilities to some of the eight members of the Police who were investigated after citizens complained about the negligence of the force. Based on these complaints, a total of four calls had been made to the Pafos Police Headquarters, lasting eight minutes, without any response to this tragic incident.
The officer appointed to investigate these allegations accepts on the basis of the investigation that there was negligence in phone calls in the case that turned into a premeditated murder that victimized the 41-year-old from Bulgaria and charged yesterday before the court her 48-year-old compatriot husband.
The police official's investigation also addressed whether the necessary steps were taken for the timely arrest of the 48-year-old in relation to an arrest warrant that existed before the murder, following a complaint by the victim about domestic violence.
Two of the eight police officers investigated have been suspended since the first day of the femicide, which was deemed necessary for the smooth conduct of the investigation.
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The investigations of the ICF of Limassol focus on reconnaissance factions and the study of closed-circuit surveillance of various premises in relation to the case under investigation of an attack against two 32-year-old men that occurred at dawn on Saturday, outside a well-known night club in Germasogeia. A 22-year-old man was arrested in connection with the case this morning and brought before the Court and detained for five days while they are being sought two other persons.
The attack took place in front of the eyes of the wives of the two complainants with the latter being beaten with an iron fist by the 22-year-old suspect. In fact, one of the two 32-year-olds was seriously injured in the face and had to be transferred to Nicosia General Hospital for treatment after suffering a fractured jaw.
According to philenews, the two complainants along with their wives and another friendly couple seem to have had a misunderstanding inside the nightclub with other persons, for an unknown reason so far. With the closure of the shop, the group had also discussed with the management of the center about the charge they had. Then, after everyone left the premises and talked to the person responsible for the misunderstanding, which they settled, an unknown young person pushed one of the two 32-year-olds.
The couples left the scene and headed to the parking area with the 22-year-old suspect, according to police testimonies, mocking the two 32-year-olds. The suspect approached one of the two and after pulling an iron fist out of his pocket, beat him, with the latter crumbling to the ground. Then the other 32-year-old approached the scene and in an attempt to protect his friend, he was also attacked by the suspect. After falling to the ground, he was attacked by 2 to 3 other unknown persons.
All this took place in front of the eyes of the wives of the two complainants, who in their attempt to help shouted at the perpetrators that they had called the police.
After the above incident, the two complainants went to the Germasogeia Police Station and reported the case stating that they were attacked by 3 people without cause. From the examinations carried out, written testimony was obtained against the 22-year-old suspect. He was arrested and brought on the same day before the Limassol District Court, which ordered his detention for five days. Under questioning, the suspect refused to answer questions from the investigators of the ICF of Limassol.
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Police have arrested another suspect in the explosion at a café in Nicosia on June 22. A second suspect remains in custody, while two other suspects, who were in custody, have been released, with police continuing operations.
The new arrest was led by evidence that emerged from the examinations conducted by the Police, in relation to the explosion that occurred in the cafeteria. Based on the new evidence that emerged, a judicial arrest warrant was issued yesterday against the suspect, who was located and subsequently arrested yesterday by members of the YKAN and ICF of Nicosia. This is a 28-year-old man, who this morning was brought before the Nicosia District Court for a detention order. The District Court approved the police's request and issued a seven-day detention order against the 28-year-old suspect for police examinations.
It was preceded on 23 June and 02 July by three other arrests of suspects in the case, namely the arrest of a man, aged 44, and a man and woman, aged 35, also on the basis of court warrants, issued on the basis of evidence obtained from police examinations. The three suspects were detained under court detention orders. The 35-year-old suspect remains in custody, while the 44-year-old and 35-year-old were released last Saturday, July 6, with police questioning ongoing.
The explosion at the café occurred around 4.40am on June 22, 2024, causing extensive damage to the side entrance of the café. From the examinations of the Police pyrotechnics at the scene, it was found that the explosion was due to the detonation of an improvised bomb, with a high-power explosive. At the time the homemade bomb exploded, persons were working on the premises.
Police are investigating attempted murder and attempted destruction of property with explosives. The case is being investigated by the ICF of Nicosia in cooperation with the YKAN (Nicosia District Unit).
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Complaints are increasing day by day from the victims of the Metamax pyramid who lost considerable sums in this fraud. By Saturday, official complaints to the district offices of the ICF had reached 11, while by noon on Monday they had exceeded 25.
The investigation team of the Financial Crime Investigation Office of the Limassol Police Authority continues to investigate the case intensively, requesting the assistance of Interpol in an effort to identify the mastermind behind the major fraud.
In addition to the 54-year-old, there are other people who presented themselves as the first to register and had a large team, convincing acquaintances and strangers to invest their money, promising easy money, effortlessly, since all they would do was rate 25 videos a day from the Metamax platform.
Investigators in the case are also looking into the route of hundreds of thousands of euros that victims invested in the platform through an online bank based abroad. By registering with Metamax, the victims joined two groups on the Telegram platform with 9,000 people.
The 54-year-old, as philenews learns, insists that he is also a victim of the pyramid and that he did not know anything. It should be noted that even if the suspect was unaware, the offences being investigated against and for which he has been arrested fall under Article 154 of the Penal Code concerning the offence of the Pyramid Promotion Scheme.
55-year-old man sentenced to 6 years for pyramid fraud
It is worth mentioning that in November 2022, the Permanent Assize Court of Limassol sentenced a 55-year-old man to six years in prison for a fraud case through a pyramid scheme. According to the facts of the case, in the years 2019 and 2021, the 55-year-old extorted from 25 persons a sum of €499,000. In particular, with false representations he persuaded his unsuspecting victims to invest in the form of a pyramid scheme, sums of money in a company that he himself ran and that was engaged in financial investments. The convict had convinced the victims that this investment project was of high returns with a rate of 7%. In fact, the 55-year-old told his victims to register new clients to invest in the scheme, in order to level up and earn extra money.
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The Pafos Assize Court sentenced the 45-year-old British car driver who at dawn on January 21 caused the death of 58-year-old Ioannis Polycarpou, who was riding a moped, to 22 years in prison. The Briton was found guilty on the charge of manslaughter, which replaced the original charge of premeditated murder in the indictment.
After the indictment was amended, the 45-year-old made an admission to the new charge and today the Assize Court issued its decision. The convict has been in custody since his arrest and will now serve 22 years in Central Prison.
The 58-year-old Polycarpou was fatally injured when he was swept away on his small motorcycle by the vehicle 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 only to be later located and arrested. Police investigations show that the victim and the perpetrator had a dispute at a nightclub shortly before.
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in-cyprus
Two Greek Cypriot men have been found guilty of erecting an illegal building and operating a business with no licence in Ypsonas within the Sovereign Base Areas.
Last month, the SBA Court issued a Demolition Order to be undertaken within two months for the two structures, whilst fining the plot and business owner €4,400 and €13,200 respectively.
After ignoring official warning orders to demolish the buildings from the Akrotiri Area Officer, the case was filed before the SBA Court.
Akrotiri Area Administration Officer, Nicos Mylonas said “The heavy punishment is reflective of the long hours the Area Office staff and public prosecutors spent in reporting, investigating and bringing this case before the court. We aim to ensure that law and order are followed in the SBA communities and want to deter illegal activities like these.”
He added that “if people secure the appropriate planning and building permission, they need not worry.”
If the two men fail to demolish the illegally built structures and pay the fines within two months, a new charge will be filed against them.
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Cyprus Mail
A man arrested in north Nicosia for attempting to use a counterfeit €50 note at the Saray casino said on Tuesday he had obtained the money from a bureau de change in the Republic.
The man, a Lebanese national, was arrested inside the casino last Friday by police who were inspecting the premises after he handed the note to a worker at the casino.
Police officer Murat Ergun told the court that in addition to the fake note a total of €250 and US$406 in cash had been found on the man when he was arrested, and that a subsequent investigation had found the cash to be authentic.
He added that the man had left the north via the Ayios Dhometios crossing point on March 6, but that there was no evidence of him re-entering the north thereafter.
He said the man had confessed to entering the north illegally in June after having obtained the €50 note from a bureau de change in the Republic.
Erguden said the man has no ties to the north and ordered that he be held in custody.
The man’s lawyer Huseyin Koralp said his client is suffering from a cardiovascular disease and requested that he therefore be examined by a doctor.
Judge Jale Erguden ordered that the man be held in custody for a period not exceeding 30 days and that he be examined by a doctor in a fully equipped hospital.
