Filenews 19 September 2024
Another serious case of possession and trafficking of a large quantity of drugs is being investigated by YKAN.
In cooperation with the Department of Customs, members of the Anti-Narcotics Administration searched the luggage of a person with an Italian passport and found 25 kilos and 600 kilograms Cannabis.
The arrested man came from Dubai, while his original destination was Thailand. He was arrested and investigations are underway as to where the drugs would end up, which will now be forwarded to the State Chemical Laboratory for analysis.
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Pafos Press 20 September
A 60-year-old man was arrested yesterday Thursday, who was wanted since 2006 after a fatal traffic accident in Pafos district.
According to the Police, the 60-year-old, a citizen of a third country, who after the events related to the fatal road collision, returned to his country of origin, has been wanted ever since and a judicial arrest warrant had been issued against him, with the aim of bringing him before a Court for trial of the case.
The fatal road collision occurred on November 17, 2006, shortly after 21:00, on the Agios Neophytos-Tremithousa road, where the 60-year-old, (aged 42 at the time), who was in Cyprus as a visitor, was driving a car, with passengers his son, aged 18, his brother, aged 38 and his brother's wife, aged 34. At one point in the road, the car reportedly veered off course and overturned in an adjacent field, killing 34-year-old Lisa Jane Bissenden.
The 42-year-old was arrested the same evening, pursuant to a court warrant, in the context of the investigations carried out by the Police, in relation to the conditions and causes of the fatal road collision. He was later released to be charged and brought before a court at a later stage. However, as it was later established, he returned to his country of origin and has been wanted ever since.
Later this morning, the 60-year-old is expected to be brought before the District Court of Paphos, for the registration and start of the trial of the case.
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Filenews
A reversal in the case of the quadruple fatality, which occurred a few minutes after the arrival of 2024, occurred today before the Permanent Assize Court of Limassol, where the start of the hearing is set.
The lawyer of the 44-year-old defendant, Lambros Pieris, said that the client wants to change the answer from non-admission to admission, in four categories.
These are the 4 categories relating to the offence of causing death by reckless or dangerous act or conduct in violation of Article 210 of the Criminal Code. Subsequently, the 44-year-old defendant was charged with the 4 charges which he admitted.
In relation to the other two charges (9 and 10) relating to driving at a speed likely to endanger human life and non-compliance of a traffic light, which was marked red, the defendant's lawyer noted that for the red light charge, there may be a change in the answer depending on the video evidence that will be presented in court.
He noted that for their part there is no intention to present another picture and that depending on the course of the case, the answer to both these accusations may change.
The two sides then prepared a text with admissible facts and photographs and documents were submitted to the court as evidence.
The proceedings before the Permanent Assize Court of Limassol are monitored by Filenews reporting all developments.
The victims of the unspeakable tragedy that marked the Pancyprian were the eldest daughter of the family, Evanthia, 27 years old, and the young son, Nicholas, 17 years old. With them, their grandparents, Nikolas Zavros and grandmother Vathoulla, 72 and 74 years old respectively.
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Police are investigating a robbery case, allegedly committed yesterday afternoon in Larnaca, against an 89-year-old man. The 89-year-old, who was injured, was taken to Larnaka General Hospital, where he was detained for treatment, while a 25-year-old woman was arrested and detained in the case.
Specifically, around 2.20 p.m. on Thursday, the Police received information about the commission of a robbery, with an elderly man as the victim, in the area of Oroklini. Members of the Police rushed to the area for examinations, who found the 89-year-old man, injured, outside his residence. According to the 89-year-old, a little earlier, a woman known to him went to his residence and stole his wallet, which contained a sum of money. He followed the suspect to her car and tried to prevent her, but the suspect dragged him with her car, with which she then fled the scene.
The 89-year-old was taken by an ambulance crew to Larnaka General Hospital, where he underwent medical examinations and after it was found that he had a wound to his left hip, he was detained for treatment.
The examinations carried out by the members of the Police verified the details of the vehicle, in which the suspicious woman had fled. The vehicle was found during searches in the area, parked outside the residence of its 25-year-old owner. The 25-year-old was found at her residence and under questioning handed over part of the stolen money to the members of the police. With the 25-year-old's consent, her car was searched, in which the 89-year-old's wallet was found.
The 25-year-old was arrested for flagrant offences, while later last night, she was also arrested with a court arrest warrant, which was issued for the purpose of investigating the robbery case.
The case is being investigated by the Oroklini Police Station.
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The two Syrian defendants, 33 and 34 years old respectively, were taken to the Central Prison today until the start of the trial, in connection with the case of foreigners who were found last Tuesday morning (10/9) on a boat, off the sea area of Akrotiri, leaving Cyprus to go by sea to Italy.
In the case, according to Filenews, testimony was secured against another person aged 49. This is a man who was spotted by the Police at the Port of Moni on 9/9 as he had transferred the small boat there. The 49-year-old, as our website wrote in a previous publication, claimed that the boat belonged to a friend from Larnaca and was asked to tow it due to mechanical failure. The 49-year-old had presented police with a boat's pilot's license.
From the statements that emerged during the investigation of the case, it was found that this person had received money from the foreigners both for their trip to Italy and for the purchase of the boat.
During today's proceedings, the Court set the case for hearing on October 3 and ordered that the two accused traffickers be taken to the Central Prison as undertrials, pending trial. The two face the offences of conspiracy to commit a felony, leaving the Republic from an unauthorised port and money laundering.
In their statements, the foreigners said the 33-year-old smuggler had shown them a video of a yacht, telling them they would travel to Italy with it, but said they were fooled after finding out they were going to travel in a small boat. The 34-year-old boat operator was the person who agreed with the 33-year-old and two other people to buy the boat in order to travel to Italy. The foreigners, in addition to the deposit of €1,000 to €1,500 that they gave for their trip, spent additional money for the purchase of the boat which cost €9,000.
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Another shocking case is nearing completion, which is being heard in closed proceedings before the Limassol District Court. This is the case of 6-year-old twins, who tested positive for traces of cocaine in their system, in the year 2021, when their father had used drugs in an area of their residence. The twins had leaned on a coffee table containing drugs. One of the little girl exhibited erratic behaviour and the parents rushed to a chemical laboratory to confirm their suspicions.
As Filenews is aware, the 48-year-old accused father from the beginning of the proceedings had admitted 6 of the 8 charges he faces, except those related to the offence of supplying cocaine to minors. In particular, the defendant admitted the offences of unlawful possession, use of cocaine as well as the offences of negligent and reckless acts and ill-treatment of a child under the age of 16.
His lawyer had submitted a request to the Attorney General for a stay of prosecution on the procurement charge, with the Legal Service only recently granting the defence's request and making a positive recommendation to suspend the charge.
The trial was set for yesterday and the 48-year-old's lawyer asked for time to plead for a mitigation of his client's sentence. The Court granted the request and set the trial for the next period. It is noted that the accused father has been free on parole all this time.
It is recalled that the case came to light following a complaint by a chemical laboratory owner in Limassol. The parents went with their children to the laboratory asking for the minors to undergo a laboratory test for drug detection.
The chemist called the mother the next day and informed her that test results had detected traces of cocaine on the 6-year-old. In fact, he advised her to contact the police immediately. Instead, the mother took her children and left Cyprus. Then the chemist made a complaint to the police himself. Subsequently, the parents were arrested and the father said in a statement that he had used drugs in a basement of his home but forgot to lock the door, causing the twins to taste the amount of cocaine that was left.
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The dance of arrests continues for the outrages that occurred at the Alfamemega stadium on Sunday night, before and after the final postponement of the derby between Apollon and AEL. By yesterday noon, the ICF of Limassol had arrested 10 persons who were taken to Court and detained. Another 26 people are being sought in the case.
Yesterday 3 young suspects aged 22, 24 and 28 respectively were brought to court. The 22-year-old appeared yesterday voluntarily at the ICF of Limassol, accompanied by his lawyer. The 24-year-old and the 28-year-old were wanted after court warrants had been issued against them. The 3 suspected AEL fans were detained for a period of 3 days with their lawyers not objecting to their detention.
According to "F" information, the 22-year-old interrogated after his arrest, admitted that he entered the stadium without having a ticket, jumped from the fence to the entrance gate and entered the stadium. The 24-year-old, according to the same information, was settled through the fan card after it was found that he was in possession of a ticket which he did not scan when entering the stadium. Under questioning, however, he refused to cooperate and answer the investigators' questions, saying that "whatever he has to say, he will tell the court."
A tool for identifying the wanted persons, whose photos the authorities made public, is the fan card, since from there some of those involved appear to have had tickets but did not scan them when entering the stadium.
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The great geopolitical thriller starring a well-known academic and focusing on Joe Biden's family and the US, is currently in full swing on Cypriot soil. The 57-year-old well-known academic, Gal Luft, who fled our island in the spring of 2023 and while he was free on parole due to the ongoing extradition process to the US, was arrested again after a year and a half of absconding from justice and is now detained by the Cypriot authorities.
According to cross-checked information by "F", Luft was located in the occupied areas at the beginning of this month and his surrender was secretly arranged through the United Nations to the Cyprus Police.
Go for release
An authoritative source in our newspaper, confirming the above information, stated that "at this stage the process of his extradition before a District Court for extradition to the USA, has been frozen". He explained that "through his lawyer he has appealed to the Supreme Court, seeking a privileged writ of habeas corpus." In other words, Luft is seeking his immediate release, on the basis of his argument that the reason sought by the US authorities is not sufficiently justified by the evidence provided by the Americans to the Republic of Cyprus.
Political motives
Since his arrest in spring 2023, Luft has on several occasions expressed the view that the arrest warrant issued by authorities in an alleged arms export case to Libya and China is politically motivated and specifically linked to the fact that it went against the interests of US President Joe Biden's family. The latter recently withdrew from his re-election campaign, giving way to Kamala Harris. It is precisely for this reason that from the very first moment of his arrest in Cyprus (February 2023), American and international media have dealt with the case. The report of the "New York Post" was also characteristic.
Background
Luft directed the Washington-based Institute for International Security Analysis and was an adviser to the U.S. Energy Security Council. He is a former lieutenant colonel in the Israeli army.
Luft was arrested on February 16 at Larnaka airport, on the basis of a red notice issued by the US Federal Police (FBI). He was ready to travel to Tel Aviv. He was wanted for alleged arms exports to Libya and China between 2015 and 2023.
At the request of his lawyer at the Larnaca District Court, which would decide whether or not to extradite him to the US, it was decided to release him under strict conditions. He was appointed to pay himself as a guarantee an amount of €150,000, to guarantee a creditworthy guarantor for another €250,000 and to report to the Central Police Station of Pafos (he resided in the specific district) at regular intervals.
Fugitive through Pyla
He managed to fulfil the conditions and was released. However, on March 28 he did not report to the Police Station to sign as required. On the same day, his Greek Cypriot lawyer had declared Luft missing at the Pafos ICF, while expressing concern for his client's life.
The next day, following a police investigation, the vehicle Luft was using in Cyprus to move was located. It was abandoned in an area of Dhekelia. The police authorities expressed the position that the most likely scenario was that he escaped through Pyla. Luft was due to appear in court on April 3.
He would testify before Congress
A Greek Cypriot lawyer representing him at the time had expressed fears for Luft's life, saying he had no reason to flee. Finally, the 57-year-old professor gave signs of life in the first 10 days of July, when he published his positions on video through the "New York Post".
In the relevant footage, Luft claimed that he was arrested in Cyprus in order to prevent his testimony to the Congressional Oversight Committee, concerning his allegations that the family of US President Joe Biden received payments from persons connected to Chinese espionage and had shared information obtained with them.
Luft says he provided witness material for the allegations to six FBI officials and the U.S. Justice Department at a secret meeting in Brussels in March 2019, but he says there was a cover-up.
In the same video, he was seen saying: "I'm not a Republican. I am not a Democrat. I have no political motive or agenda. I did so because of my deep concern that if the Bidens came to power, the country would face the same traumatic collusion scandal with Russia, only this time it would be with China."
What did the New York Post say about what Luft blamed on the Biden family?
In the spring of 2023, while Luft was in custody, on several occasions he expressed the position that his prosecution for illegal arms export, conspiracy and false statements (based on a warrant issued on November 1, 2022), is political in nature.
Shortly after his arrest in the Republic of Cyprus, he had made a written statement through his Twitter account: "I have been arrested in Cyprus on a politically motivated extradition request from the US. The U.S. says I'm an arms dealer. It would be funny if it weren't tragic. I have never been an arms dealer. The Justice Department is trying to bury me to protect Joe, Jim and Hunter Biden."
Luft's U.S. attorney, Robert Enoch, on March 22, 2023, provided information about his client's allegations of malicious prosecution through an extensive report in the "New York Post." Enoch said Luft was being politically prosecuted for attempting in 2019 to complain to the U.S. Justice Department that the Chinese government-controlled CEFC had financial give-and-take with the president's son, Hunter, and Joe Biden's brother, Jim.
Both received $100,000 and $65,000 per month, respectively. The Chinese energy business entity had allegedly given the money in exchange for Hunter and Jim giving it information from the FBI, to which they had connections.
According to Robert Enoch, the company would also use the Biden name as part of the People's Republic of China's strategy to develop and implement its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative.
The above positions by Luft's lawyer gained dimensions in the US, through an article by the columnist of the American newspaper, Miranda Devine. The latter, in fact, appeared on a TV show of the well-known news network FoxNews talking about the issue.
Luft's issue was linked to another much larger case facing the U.S. Congress involving money transfers to Hunter Biden's accounts.
Attorney Robert Enoch says Luft obtained information about the case through his relationship with Hunter Biden's business associates: Patrick Ho and Ye Janming, president of CEFC. This information was passed on to the US authorities.
The New York Post reported that CEFC had reportedly given $4.9 million to Hunter and Jim Biden in 14 monthly instalments since August 2017. The report cited evidence from U.S. authorities.
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A search, based on a court warrant, at the residence of a 31-year-old man in Larnaca was carried out last Monday by members of the Intellectual Property Theft and Illegal Betting Section of the Electronic Crime Subdivision of the Police Headquarters in cooperation with officers of the Department of Customs.
During the investigation, a total of 450 pairs of sneakers, which appear to be fakes, were located and confiscated.
The seized products were received by the officers of the Department of Customs, which undertook the further investigation of the case.
