Pafos Live 18 March 2025
The Assize Court, which met today in Larnaka, imposed an 8-year prison sentence on a 43-year-old man, after finding him guilty on the charge of arson.
This is an offence committed on 3/9/2023 when a fire broke out in a store in the morning hours. During the investigation of the case, it was found that it was arson, and during the examinations, testimony emerged against the convict.
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Filenews
The Nicosia District Court yesterday sentenced to two years in prison a police officer, who in September 2022 was caught transporting with his vehicle six illegal Iranians from the occupied to the free areas.
The said police officer had been stopped by his colleagues on September 27, 2022 at the Ayios Dometios barricade and during a check on his vehicle, it was found that six Iranians were inside it, who as it appeared afterwards, were irregular migrants and even arrived from Turkey in occupied Kyrenia.
The police officer has been suspended since his arrest. According to Filenews, the court sentenced him to two years in prison for the charge of aiding irregular migrants, while at the same time imposing a prison sentence that will also be the same for the money laundering charge.
It is noted that after his conviction, disciplinary proceedings will be initiated, which was opened at the time but remained inactive, in order to impose a penalty that is estimated to be heavy.
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A legal dispute over the extradition of a Serb residing in Cyprus is being examined by the Limassol District Court. The extradition request for the 63-year-old by Serbian authorities concerns €1.1 million in fraud charges and conspiracy to commit a felony, committed in May 2022 in Serbia.
The case has been before the Limassol Court since last Friday (14/3), when the Police requested a provisional arrest warrant for the 63-year-old wanted man in accordance with the provisions of the European Convention on Extradition of Fugitives. For their part, the 63-year-old's defense lawyers, Maria Pastella and Kleanthis Karamanidis, objected to both their client's detention and his extradition. During yesterday's proceedings, they handed over various documents to the Court and objected to pre-trial detention pending the examination of the extradition request.
The court, although it was due to decide whether or not to detain the 63-year-old, ultimately postponed it for another day after new documents related to the case in which the wanted man is accused were submitted by his lawyers. In particular, a Serbian court ruled that the 63-year-old remained free until his case was heard.
Information obtained by Filenews states that on 14/10/2024 a message was transmitted to Interpol Nicosia as well as a red notice from Interpol Serbia, according to which this person is wanted for serious offenses. According to the facts, in 2022, he along with the main suspect in the case and other persons, allegedly misled people working in a notary office in order to validate false powers of attorney without the presence of the complainant, who is a person with a disability.
After receiving the powers of attorney, the 63-year-old allegedly agreed with one of the defendants, misleading company representatives to pay the sum of €1.1 million as a down payment and purchase price, presenting false information.
Specifically, she presented that one of the parties involved was an authorized person by the complainant to negotiate with the buyers and sell a family home building and a plot of land in her name. After receiving the purchase price, they harmed both the company and the complainant for the aforementioned amount. From the examinations carried out, it was found that the wanted person resides in Cyprus and has a residence permit until December 2025.
The case is expected to be heard by the court tomorrow as it must decide whether the 63-year-old will remain free on parole. For its part, the Public Prosecutor's Office did not object to the documents filed.
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Legal aid was granted by the Supreme Court to a Syrian national so that he could have the services of a lawyer free of charge to apply for a warrant for his release.
The case if in the documents accompanying him, he was not mentioned by the Aliens and Immigration Service of the Police, that he is a member of the terrorist organization Islamic State (ISIS).
The applicant, 27 years old, filed an application under the "Legal Aid Law" of 2002, requesting the provision of free legal aid in order to register an application for a privileged writ of habeas corpus. In the written statement accompanying the application, he simply states that he is detained at the Central Police Station in Nicosia and that he has no financial resources, in view of the fact that he has been an asylum seeker since March 2024.
The facts, as recorded in a note submitted by representatives of the Attorney General and resulting from the documents attached thereto, are as follows:
• The applicant is a Syrian national and on 19/3/2024, he submitted an application for international protection, which is under examination. According to letters from the Aliens and Immigration Service, the applicant is alleged to be a member of the terrorist organization Islamic State (ISIS). The applicant's wife is a holder of subsidiary protection.
• On 22/07/2024, a detention order was issued against the applicant under the "Refugee Law" of 2000 for reasons of national security and public order and security.
• On 21/11/2024, in the context of his appeal, a decision was issued by the Administrative Court of International Protection, by which the detention order of the applicant dated 22/07/2024 was confirmed, for reasons of public order.
• An appeal was filed against this decision.
In view of the above, the Judge of the Supreme Court, Lena Dimitriadou-Andreou, ruled that the Syrian retains the status of applicant for international protection pending the examination of his application for international protection.
He therefore approved his application for legal aid and issued a certificate of legal aid in order to have the services of a lawyer of his choice in order to be able to apply for a writ of habeas corpus.
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A court order requested by the Police will seek to hand over to the Limassol Municipality the Pit Bull that attacked and seriously injured the 64-year-old woman-collector last Monday at a house in Limassol. This is the case reported by Filenews, with the 64-year-old describing the nightmarish moments she lived.
Despite the fact that a week has passed since the shocking incident, however, the young owner of the dog is not willing to hand over the animal to the Health Authorities of the Municipality for the procedures provided by law, since it seems to fall, according to the finding of the officers of the Veterinary Services, in the prohibited breeds, as it presents characteristics of the dangerous Pitt Bull breed.
After the negative attitude of the owner, the Limassol Municipality contacted the Police and specifically the Agios Ioannis Police Station, so that the animal could be delivered into the possession of the local Authority by court order. According to our information, the members of the Police will apply to the Limassol Court for the issuance of this decree.
Speaking on the TV show "Mera Mesimeri" and asked to comment on the issue, Mayor Yiannis Armeftis noted that the local authority has the responsibility, explaining that if it is a dangerous animal, its killing is provided for by regulations and legislation.
"The dangerous behaviour of dogs that either bite people or kill other dogs cannot be tolerated once they are in public places," Armeftis pointed out, adding that the Municipality and its policies are in favour of animal welfare, but "safety is one thing and love for animals is another", explaining that they are two different things.
As far as the investigation of the case by the Police is concerned, investigations and the taking of statements continue. In his statements, the spokesman of the Limassol Police Authority, Lefteris Kyriakou, said that upon completion of the examinations, within the next few days, the case file will be forwarded to the Legal Service, with the authorities recommending the criminal prosecution of the young owner of the dog for criminal negligence and possession of a prohibited dog breed.
According to the Dogs Act, there are four prohibited breeds and their crossbreeds. Under this legislation, if a veterinary officer detects aggressive tendencies in a dog belonging to the prohibited/dangerous breeds, then the dog is removed by the competent local authority and euthanized.
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More than 300 complaints emerged during Awareness and Policing Week in relation to the use of seat belts and child seats, which took place between 10 and 16 March 2025.
Specifically, during the inspections carried out throughout the road network of Cyprus, 305 complaints emerged for non-use of seat belts (255 for front seats and 50 for rear seats), 10 complaints in relation to child seats and two complaints for failure to install a seat belt system.
The awareness and policing campaign was carried out in parallel and at a pan-European level, under the coordination of the European Traffic Police Network ROADPOL.
Through this action, the European Network aims to reduce serious and fatal road collisions, as well as to raise awareness among drivers and passengers of cars, to the use of seat belts, both in the front and rear seats, as well as to the use of child and lifting seats.
Seat belts significantly reduce the risk of serious injury or death in the event of a road collision. On the contrary, failure to wear seat belts is one of the main causes of road fatalities.
According to statistics for the three-year period 2021 – 2023, 52.5% of the dead drivers and passengers of cars did not wear a seat belt.
