Pafos Live 18 February 2025
The Police arrested today a 30-year-old Russian resident of Paphos, as part of an investigation into the arson of a residence, committed last Tuesday, February 11, in Paphos, resulting in the injury of family members staying at the residence. The suspect was taken into custody, with the Paphos ICF investigating the case.
According to the evidence under investigation, the arson was committed shortly after 3.00 am on February 11, when objects on the terrace outside the house were maliciously set on fire, with the fire spreading inside the residence, causing extensive damage.
The residence was a family of six people, namely a couple aged 42 and 40, their two children, aged 8 and 12, and the parents of the 42-year-old, aged 73 and 72, who managed to leave the residence.
The two children, their parents and the 73-year-old and 72-year-old were examined at Paphos General Hospital, where it was found that the 40-year-old mother of the children had suffered 2nd degree burns on the hands and 1st degree on the face, the 42-year-old father and the 12-year-old child had respiratory problems, while the 73-year-old had injuries to the spine and right leg, in his attempt to leave the residence.
During the investigation of the case by the police, evidence emerged against the 30-year-old, on the basis of which a court warrant was issued for his arrest. He was arrested by members of the Police, around 3.00 am on Tuesday, at the Ledra Palace barricade, in Nicosia, in his attempt to move from the free to the occupied areas of the Republic.
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Filenews
A fine of €500 to a 33-year-old man who was accused of insulting a police officer and resisting lawful arrest, an offense committed on February 2, after the football match between AEK – AEL held at AEK – Arena, was imposed today by the Larnaca District Court.
According to the facts of the case after the completion of the match, incidents broke out outside the AEK Arena stadium, resulting in the use of chemicals by the Police to disperse fans, who had initially stoned and then threw Molotov cocktails and naval flares at the police.
As a result of the incidents, a female police officer was injured and transferred to the Accident and Emergency Department of Larnaka General Hospital where doctors on duty found, after examinations, that she had a bruise on her tibia.
The 33-year-old was arrested as he left the AEK-Arena stadium on the evening of February 2 to facilitate police investigations into an ongoing case of insulting a police officer and resisting lawful arrest.
The police had proceeded on February 3 to immediately register the case against the 33-year-old before the Larnaca Court, which today imposed a fine of €500 on the 33-year-old.
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A serious complaint against a doctor contracted with the GHS is being investigated by the Cyprus Police. The complaint was made by the Health Insurance Organisation (HIO) for a well-known doctor of a specific specialty.
According to the information provided by "F", the case is being investigated by the Nicosia Crime Detection Department.
According to the same information, the complaint concerns findings that emerged after mass audits carried out by the HIO per service and per specialty/category of providers.
What appears to have emerged for the complaining doctor is that he was making false entries in the system. In other words, there were registrations of claims for services, which never seem to have been offered to GHS beneficiaries.
Besides, information that the doctor has concerned the authorities in the past and which we brought to the attention of a competent source, is not confirmed for the time being.
As it is understood, from the moment this complaint was forwarded to the Police, indications and/or suspicions of a criminal offence were raised by the specialist doctor. The HIO imposes financial penalties for disciplinary matters.
More specifically, administrative fines are imposed for violations of the current GHS regulations or repeated incorrect entries (codes or acts) in the System's software.
On the contrary, in cases where serious violations occur, contracts are suspended and/or terminated or reports are made to the Police. The most frequent reason concerns the registration of false data in the software or the registration of claims for services that have never been offered to GHS beneficiaries. The present case, which is being investigated by the ICF of Nicosia, falls into this category.
Of course, everything will depend on the police examinations which are expected to determine whether the offences under investigation are established. If the witness material is capable of supporting charges, then the case will be registered in the Nicosia District Court.
It should be noted that in recent months violations have been constantly occurring by doctors and/or medical units contracted with the GHS.
It is indicative that last September the Health Insurance Organization (HIO) imposed fines totalling €49,100 on 51 health service providers. These concerned doctors, personal and specialists, as well as pharmacists.
The largest fine, amounting to €30,000, was imposed on a specialist doctor specializing in dermatology, while a total fine of €16,500 was imposed on 47 personal doctors for an increased number of referrals for physiotherapy and prescription of quantities of drugs greater than those needed by patients to meet the needs of a month.
According to a relevant announcement issued by the HIO, the dermatologist, who had been fined €30,000, entered in the GHS software claims for compensation, which were either incorrect or not justified by what the doctor recorded when submitting his claim.
Earlier last summer, three hospitals, seven doctors, a dentist and a pharmacist were fined or suspended or warned to suspend contracts.
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Sums of money were put in the frame of the police investigations into the case with the group of 80 people who declare that they do not recognize the Republic of Cyprus and its institutions.
As we are informed by an authoritative source, the Crime Detection Department of the Police Headquarters has obtained testimonies according to which some of these persons, who identify themselves as entities, have received small amounts to provide assistance to other individuals, who had problematic loan contracts. The same source spoke of amounts "ranging from €50 to €200".
It should be recalled here that according to the police testimony at the Nicosia District Court, the group of "80" was acting in cases of people who could not meet loan agreements and faced similar problems.
The validity of these testimonies will be evaluated in order to ascertain their validity and, in particular, whether they constitute any of the offences under investigation. Two persons, 62-year-old F.S. and 43-year-old M.S., are currently under arrest, while 45-year-old Kostas Patsalidis is wanted to facilitate police investigations in connection with the case.
The latter yesterday uploaded visual material on a social media platform, which showed him speaking to an official of the ICF Headquarters. The 45-year-old repeated the well-known positions of non-recognition of the Republic of Cyprus, indicating that he has no intention of surrendering to the authorities.
It should be noted that those arrested are being investigated for the offences of conspiracy to commit a felony, conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor, possession of a plaque or instrument used for the manufacture of seals presented as official seals in the Republic, publication of false news that may undermine public order or public confidence in the state or its organs. impersonation by a public official, participation in and acceptance of crimes, participation in a criminal organisation, threatening, misuse of authority and drawing up and circulating a false document.
