Pafos Live 22 July 2025
The Cybercrime Sub-Directorate, Police Headquarters, is investigating a case of internet fraud. Specifically, a 53-year-old resident of Paphos, complained that, between April, 2024 and January, 2025, he was deceived by an unknown person, who, through their online communication, convinced him to invest in cryptocurrencies.
The 53-year-old sent a total of $508,893 (€434,890) to various bank accounts and electric wallets, and later determined it was a fraud.
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A 58-year-old man, who was in a state of intoxication and while in the presence of patients at the examination area, began to shout and cause concern, at the first aid department [A&A] of the Paphos General Hospital.
A member of the Police who serves as a member of the guard at the Paphos General Hospital, proceeded to his arrest for the flagrant offenses of drunkenness, and causing concern in a public place.
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Filenews
The Larnaca Assize Court today imposed a seven-year prison sentence on a 30-year-old man, who was found guilty in a drug case.
The 30-year-old was arrested last May in Larnaca. During a search carried out at his home, a quantity of cocaine with a gross weight of 333 grams and a small amount of cannabis were found and confiscated, among other things.
The investigation of the case was undertaken by the District Unit of Larnaca (District Unit of Larnaca).
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The Police proceeded to the arrest of five young persons this morning.
Specifically, around 3:00, after a pursuit, a car was stopped in which five foreign persons aged 21, 19, 18 and two 17-year-olds were inside.
The driver is being investigated for offences of not having a driver's licence and safety certificate [MOT].
All five were arrested for illegal possession of property after property (2 watches and €650) was found inside the vehicle, for which they did not give sufficient explanations.
Today all five will appear before the Court for detention.
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A 17-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday (22/07) with a court warrant in connection with a robbery case.
The case concerns a complaint filed on October 30, 2024, by a food distributor.
According to the complaint, around 9.20 p.m. on October 30, while he was driving his motorcycle in the Kapsalos area of Limassol, carrying an order of food, a number of young people stopped him and after attacking him, they stole his motorcycle.
The Limassol TAE investigates the case
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Around 1.30 p.m. yesterday, a fire was noticed in a house adjacent to a wooded area in the village of Dymes in Limassol.
Eight fire trucks of the Forestry Department, four vehicles of the Fire Service and four aircraft contributed to extinguish the fire. The fire was brought under control around 2.45 p.m. After previously burning an area of about six dozen pine trees and wild vegetation as well as arable land from fruit trees.
During the examinations regarding the causes of the fire, it seems that the fire was located in an open area next to the residence of an 84-year-old who, as he allegedly mentioned in his voluntary testimony, at the given time was engaged in cutting sheet metal using electric emery and admitted to causing the fire.
The 84-year-old was charged in writing and released while the Agros Police Station continues the examinations.
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The attempt of a Chinese citizen who was naturalized as a Cypriot, because his wife had acquired Cypriot citizenship on the basis of the investment program in 2015, to freeze the cancellation of his golden passport until his appeal was examined.
The Chinese, who immediately after his naturalization proceeded with his wife to change their names, had appealed to the Administrative Court requesting the annulment of the decision of the Council of Ministers on Thursday. 22.05.2024 which confirmed a previous decision to deprive the applicant of the status of citizen of the Republic of Cyprus. At the same time as the appeal, the applicant also proceeded to register an interim application, requesting a decree suspending the validity of the decision of the Council of Ministers on deprivation of citizenship of the Republic of Cyprus and a decree recognizing that the applicant continues to be a citizen of the Republic of Cyprus until the completion of his appeal.
As stated in a decision of Judge Lakis Christodoulou, the Applicant, a citizen of the People's Republic of China, acquired Cypriot citizenship by way of exception Naturalization as a dependent spouse of the investor Zxxxx Txxx. By letter dated 10.6.2020, the Chief of Police informed the Ministry of Interior that on 28.5.2020 a message was received from INTERPOL Beijing by which they informed the Cypriot authorities that a "Red Notice" was issued against the Applicant on 22.7.2020 regarding a bribery case. This was followed by an exchange of letters between the Police and the Ministry of Interior regarding the offences for which the applicant is wanted in China, in order to clarify whether the conditions set by Article 113(3)(e) of the Law for deprivation of his Cypriot citizenship are met.
Further, by letter dated On 12.8.2022, it was confirmed by the Chief of Police that the offences for which the applicant is accused constitute an offence in the Republic as well. Specifically, they constitute the offense of decency of a public official in violation of article 100(b) of the Criminal Code Law Cap. 154, which carries a prison sentence of seven (7) years or a fine of up to €100,000 or both.
With his interim application, the applicant maintains that the challenged acts are manifestly illegal, since he was never informed about the decision of the Council of Ministers on the deprivation of citizenship of the Republic, as well as his right to appeal to the Independent Committee for the Examination of Deprivation of Citizenship. It is the applicant's position, as regards the manifest illegality of the contested act, that the sending of the information letter dated 26/06/2023 to the law firm A. K. & Associates LLC and not to the applicant himself does not constitute sufficient information regarding his right to be heard before the Commission, resulted in the applicant being deprived of his right to be heard, in violation of an essential procedural requirement, as expressly provided for by the provisions of article 113(5) of the Population Registry Law and constitutes a manifest illegality which may lead to the success of the present law.
The Court held, after hearing the contrary position of the Legal Service, that it is a long-standing line of domestic jurisprudence that the legal issues, which constitute the substance of a case, must be resolved during the trial of the case. Their resolution at the stage of the procedure for the issuance of an interim decree constitutes a serious and inadmissible interference in the course of the trial and in the disputed issues, which will be examined by the trial judge, the decision states. It also held that the cause of irreparable harm that the applicant may suffer should not remain at the level of allegations, but should be proven by evidence that if the execution of the contested administrative act is not suspended, the applicant will suffer irreparable damage. Following these findings, it rejected the application and set the hearing of the appeal for next November.
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The five Greek Cypriots illegally detained by the occupation regime appear again today in a pseudo-court, with ridiculous accusations of illegal intervention in a tourist resort in Gasstria and of disturbing the public peace.
It is not excluded today, after the events will be heard, that a "penalty" will be imposed by the so-called Court in occupied Trikomo. Although the charges do not include espionage, in the occupied territories and even in Turkey, the narrative continues that the five were "caught in the act for espionage". According to the reports, it is considered that possessing maps of the area, apparently in search of their properties, is espionage.
According to a new report by the Turkish Cypriot newspaper "Kıbrıs Postası", the five "detainees" were located on July 19 in the Gasstria region. The "arrest" was made after complaints from residents of a residential complex, who reported that the five were riding in a vehicle and inspecting the area, causing "general disturbance" and committing "encroachment on property". During the subsequent search of their vehicle, the "police" authorities located and confiscated, as reported, a number of documents. Among them were maps and title deeds with handwritten notes, as well as lists of names of construction companies, directors and businessmen operating in the occupied areas.
The website 'Kıbrıs Ayrıntı' adds that the five are also accused of illegally entering the occupied areas, as they allegedly crossed the barricade in Strovilia without being subjected to a check, while violating a "military no-fly zone of the first degree". However, this is not confirmed by the information that the authorities have from the occupied territories through the Bicommunal Committee.
The news of the arrest of the five also finds an impact in Turkey with the Turkish pro-government news website "Haber 7" giving a harsher dimension to the case, referring to "five Greek Cypriot spies caught in the act". According to the publication, the arrested were gathering information about properties in the occupied areas, with the ultimate aim of filing lawsuits against Turks in the courts of the Republic of Cyprus and issuing European Arrest Warrants for properties that belonged to Greek Cypriots before 1974. The same publication accuses the "Greek Cypriot administration", i.e. the Republic of Cyprus, of "using its judicial system as a weapon to hurt the economy of the pseudo-state".
The case is closely monitored by the government and today's development is expected to take the appropriate actions.
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A 6-year prison sentence was imposed on Wednesday morning (23/7) by the Permanent Assize Court of Larnaca on a 48-year-old man who beat his partner and threatened to disseminate videos of their private moments.
The 48-year-old was found guilty of threatening to disseminate material (falling under the legislation on the processing of personal data), causing grievous bodily harm, theft and threatening violence.
The trial was held behind closed doors to protect the identity of the victim, who had reported the case last July to the violence unit of the family of the Larnaca TAE. The main prosecution witness was the complainant, whose testimony was judged to be reliable. The woman had complained that her 48-year-old partner beat her on one occasion, while threatening to spread videos on social media with their personal moments, which she did not know existed.
At that time, the 48-year-old was arrested and after examinations, material was found on his mobile phone, which was confiscated.
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By decision of the Council of Ministers, before which the conclusion on the lethal Takata airbags was placed today, an investigator is appointed to conduct a disciplinary investigation against Yiannis Nikolaidis.
The Council of Ministers took this decision after being informed today by the Minister of Transport, Alexis Vafeadis, in relation to the conclusion of the Investigative Committee.
It is recalled that Mr. Nikolaidis is a former Deputy Director of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, while he had also served as Deputy Director of the Department of Road Transport (TOM).
He currently holds the position of Director General of the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare and will probably have to be suspended until the disciplinary investigation is completed.
It is noted that the conclusion of the Investigative Committee attributed him to possible criminal responsibilities for homicide and abuse of power.
As for the criminal part, it is being investigated by the Police.
He put his signature on the disputed circular of 2017
The conclusion of the Investigative Committee explicitly notes that since 2017 there has been a significant change in the policy of the TOM, with the issuance of a new circular that exempts Manufacturers' Distributors (DTCs) from any responsibility for the recalls of used vehicles. This circular, unlike the previous one of 2011, which provided for the liability of the ITCs for all vehicles without exception, left a gap of protection for the owners of "grey" vehicles, who, from 2017 onwards, were no longer informed about the recalls and there was no control system or obligation to repair.
The Investigative Committee directly states that the change of policy may constitute an abuse of power, as the TOM had no competence to shoulder responsibilities from the ICCs, which, according to the Committee, is the competence of the Parliament.
Therefore, the Commission, in its conclusion, asked the Attorney General to consider the possibility of criminal liability for persons involved in the formulation or implementation of the 2017 circular. Essentially, the then Minister of Transport and Works, Marios Dimitriadis, the then general director of the same Ministry, Alekos Michaelides, the then director of TOM, Sotiris Kolettas, and the later director of TOM, Yiannis Nikolaidis, who signed the relevant circular on behalf of the director, are being investigated.
With regard to Coletta and Nicolaides, who have been directors of TOM for a long time, the Commission accuses them of serious omissions and unforgivable inaction, despite the constant warnings since 2013 about the danger of Takata airbags.
According to the finding, both adopted the erroneous and dangerous perception that the only obligation of the TOM was to communicate updated data of the owners to the ICCs. The Commission notes that this is contrary to the legislation and especially to Article 8(4) of the Law on the Type Approval of Vehicles, according to which the Competent Authority must take immediate measures in case of risk.
Despite the heaps of notifications from the Consumer Protection Service, citizens, and the IoT itself, the two directors did not take any substantial measures, resulting in the loss of valuable time and tragic consequences.
The inaction of the competent services had tragic results. Three accidents in Cyprus are attributed to the problematic Takata airbags, including the death of 24-year-old Kyriakos Oxynos in 2023 and 19-year-old Styliani Giorgallis in 2024. In 2017, a 19-year-old was seriously injured and suffered permanent facial deformity.
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The Paphos District Court today suspended the extradition process of a 38-year-old citizen, who was wanted by Jordan, due to serious irregularities in the documents submitted by the authorities of the Hashemite Kingdom.
According to the Court's ruling, the documents contained substantial omissions and irregularities, as provided for in Article 9(II) of the relevant ratifying Law, making it impossible to continue the extradition procedure. This legal position was also adopted by the Minister of Justice and Public Order, as mentioned in the courtroom.
Following the decision, the extradition request was withdrawn and the defense of the 38-year-old, who had already raised a relevant objection, was vindicated.
The 38-year-old had been arrested in Paphos after a warrant was issued by Jordan, in order to serve a prison sentence imposed on him in absentia for the crime of premeditated murder. In the previous trial, the Court had decided to release him, following a request by his lawyer, Ilias Satolias, who had cited a delay in obtaining the necessary authorizations from the Cypriot authorities.
The case was set for today, July 23, 2025, in order to examine the extradition request. However, its withdrawal put a definitive end to the proceedings.
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The Larnaca Police Department arrested a 64-year-old man and a 50-year-old man, both Greek Cypriots, who are suspects in a case of attempted destruction of property with explosives and arson in a vehicle driven by a 49-year-old woman. The two were arrested in a business in Limassol, after an evaluation of CCTV footage.
The explosion in the car, which belongs to the 49-year-old's father, was noticed shortly before one in the morning last Monday. Subsequently, a fire broke out which caused extensive damage to the car and minor damage to two others, which were parked in the parking lot of the apartment building.
Members of the Fire Service had rushed to the scene, extinguishing the fire caused in the car after the explosion and limiting its expansion to the rest. Investigations at the scene were carried out by members of the Larnaca Police Department, who located a plastic container containing flammable material, while they found that the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device.
Members of the Larnaca TAE searched the homes and premises of the two suspects and received evidence, which will be sent for scientific examinations. Tomorrow, the arrested are expected to appear before the Larnaca District Court for the issuance of detention orders.
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Members of the Police arrested a 20-year-old man, as part of an investigation into drug and arson cases, committed last February and July, in Nicosia.
The 20-year-old was located and arrested at noon yesterday, Tuesday, by members of the Police in Nicosia, pursuant to a court warrant, which had been issued on the basis of evidence that emerged during the investigation of the two cases. In his possession, after an investigation carried out during his identification, a quantity of dry cannabis plant material weighing approximately five (5) grams was found, a handmade cigarette containing cannabis, as well as two mobile phones, which were seized as evidence, for the purposes of police examinations.
The arson case concerns a car arson, which was committed on July 02, when around 4.30 a.m., a car of a 54-year-old woman and a 29-year-old woman's car were set on fire, while the two vehicles were parked in an area in the Nicosia district. The fire completely destroyed the two vehicles, while a third car, owned by a 56-year-old man, which was also parked at the scene, suffered damage to the right side.
The investigation of the drug case began after two persons, aged 22, filed a complaint with the Police on February 11, regarding a robbery case that they reported was committed against them, the same evening, in Nicosia. From the examinations carried out by the Police, it was found that it was a false complaint.
At the same time, evidence emerged against the two 22-year-olds regarding a case of possession of drugs for the purpose of supplying to other persons. The two 22-year-olds, as well as a third person, a 20-year-old man, were arrested, as part of an investigation of the case.
The two cases are being investigated by the Nicosia Anti-Drug Service and the Nicosia TAE.
