Pafos Live 18 October 2024
As part of an investigation into the theft of agricultural machinery from Emba worth €500, police arrested two Bulgarians last night. Other tools were found in their possession and more similar cases are expected to be solved.
The two Bulgarians, aged 50 and 26, were detained to facilitate interrogations. Members of the Police intercepted last night a car driven by a 50-year-old man. In a subsequent search, in the luggage compartment of the car, various tools were found, for which the 50-year-old did not give satisfactory explanations as to their origin, resulting in his arrest for the offence of illegal possession of property.
Subsequently, in a search of his home, which was conducted in the presence of the 26-year-old, various tools were found, for which no satisfactory explanations were given for their origin, resulting in the arrest of the 26-year-old for the offense of illegal possession of property.
Part of the property found belongs to the complaining farmer from Emba while the rest of the tools found will be examined to determine where they were stolen from.
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Filenews
The police arrested a person in the evening, as part of an investigation into a car theft case that took place on 05/10/2024 in Nicosia.
This is a 32-year-old man who was arrested on a court warrant and taken into custody.
The car in question was located on 16/10/2024 in an area of Nicosia and was received by members of the Police for dactyloscopic and scientific examinations.
Scientific examinations revealed the identification of the 32-year-old, against whom a court warrant was issued, on the basis of which he was arrested.
In a body search conducted on the 32-year-old, various pieces of gold and tools were found in his possession, resulting in his arrest for the offence of illegal possession of property.
The ICF Limassol continues the examinations.
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It is legal to detain a terrorist suspect, as decided by the Supreme Constitutional Court.
In a statement, the Legal Service of the Republic states that the evidence for the issuance of detention and any doubt acts in favour of the State, in the context of its overriding sovereign right to control who is trafficked and resides in its territory
The Supreme Constitutional Court described the first instance decision of the Administrative Court to confirm the detention of an applicant for international protection (appeals) on grounds of national security as impartial, sufficiently reasoned and safeguarding the appellant's rights. Rejecting all the grounds of appeal raised for overturning the first instance decision, the Supreme Constitutional Court, in its judgment dated 16 October 2024, ruled that the elements identified, which made the applicant for international protection suspected of terrorist operational activity, were sufficient for the Republic to issue a detention order.
In 2018, the appellant arrived in the Republic illegally, through the occupied areas and then entered the free areas from an unknown point of the opposition line, where he applied for political asylum. During his personal interview, the applicant was considered a terrorist suspect and his request for political asylum was rejected on national security grounds.
The appellant first appealed to the Administrative Court and then registered an appeal with the Supreme Constitutional Court, describing it as "invalid, illegal and devoid of any legal effect..." his detention. The Supreme Constitutional Court, examining in detail – as stated in its decision – all the grounds of appeal, proceeded to dismiss them, noting firstly that the information available to the Services of the Republic justified the issuance of a detention order and secondly, that any doubt acts in favour of the State, within the framework of its overriding sovereign right to control who is trafficked and resides in its territory.
The Supreme Constitutional Court also underlined the wide discretion of the Administration in matters of state security, while acknowledging that the limits of judicial intervention in these matters are limited to objective review of the legality of the decision and not to the subjective substitution of administrative judgment on the danger of each applicant.
On behalf of the Attorney General of the Republic, the case was handled by Mrs. Penelope Charalambous, Lawyer of the Republic.
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With absolute secrecy and method, the investigators of the Anti-Trafficking Office of the Police managed to dismantle a trafficking and pimping ring, with its tentacles reaching the occupied territories. With careful moves and away from the spotlight, investigators arrested a woman who allegedly played an important role in the ring, while today a second was arrested, who allegedly played the role of a pimp. The case is considered very serious and it is not excluded that other arrests of people with an active role in the ring will occur.
The first suspect, who had been arrested a few days ago but was not known, was brought before the Limassol District Court today at noon, with the investigators of the Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Persons requesting the renewal of her detention order for another 8 days.
According to reliable information of Filenews, the suspect allegedly admitted everything. She is being investigated for offences of conspiracy to commit a felony and misdemeanor, trafficking in adults, sexual exploitation of adults, money laundering, maintaining a brothel, pimping and exploitation of prostitutes. The offences appear to have been committed between August 2022 and May 2023.
Surveys as of May 2023
The case is considered by the authorities to be very serious, with its tentacles reaching the occupied areas and Nigeria, as the pimping ring that operated in Cyprus is also known there, under the guidance of specific persons.
According to reliable information on our website, the case began to unfold last May, when the Anti-Trafficking Office received information from the ICF of Larnaca that a woman (victim) asked for help, initially reporting that her belongings were stolen. During interrogation, the woman revealed that she had arrived in Cyprus with the help of the first suspect, with the intention of practicing prostitution.
Face-to-face guidance in Nigeria
She claimed that she was being extradited to Limassol and the first suspect threatened her, holding her passport. From the interviews that followed, it was established that the complainant was a victim of sexual exploitation. The victim mentioned that she was in Nigeria and during 2021, a friend urged her to migrate to Cyprus for a better future. Then, a relative of the latter explained to her that in order to emigrate, she had to practice prostitution in our country, for a period of 3 months, in order to collect the amount of 7 million naira (about €14,000) and repay the first suspect, who would help her with the process.
The victim arrived in Cyprus on 18/8/2022 through the occupied areas. From there, she was picked up by another person, who handed her over to two people who then took her to the suspect's apartment in Limassol. The suspect explained to her that she would have to practice prostitution until she paid off the debt. On the same day, she confiscated her passport, while the next day an advertisement was placed on an online platform, advertising her services.
Threats and blackmail from the first suspect
The complainant stayed in the suspect's apartment without any freedom of movement, while whatever money she earned from her "services", she gave to the suspect. She threatened her, saying that if she stopped practicing prostitution or did not give her all the money, she would send men to beat her, rape her and send her back to her country. The victim, having no other choice, continued to practice prostitution in Larnaca, however, as she claimed, she did not have enough clients and was unable to send money to the suspect. She then ordered another woman to confiscate her belongings and cell phone.
The suspect had been wanted by the authorities for a long time and on October 9, 2024 she was located and was arrested in Limassol. In a search of her apartment, she was found in possession of the complainant's passport. The victim had reportedly given around €5,000 to the suspect and another €1,000 to the second suspect, who is alleged to be the pimp under a specific pseudonym.
Further investigations revealed important evidence, such as ads on an online platform where the complainant's services were advertised. The woman pointed to the apartment where she was staying with the suspect and other people, and was taken to a shelter.
The first suspect was brought on October 10 before the Limassol District Court, which ordered her detention for 8 days. In questioning testimony, she admitted that the complainant worked for her, practicing prostitution and giving her all the money she earned. She also admitted to holding her passport to prevent her from leaving Cyprus.
