Filenews - 31 July 2025
The 5 Greek Cypriots who were arrested in the occupied areas are illegally detained in appalling conditions, according to the Turkish Cypriot press. The online newspaper "Ozgür", entitled "Mutual hostage policy: Inhumane treatment of Cypriots" writes that for 10 days the 5 Greek Cypriots who were arrested and are all over 60 years old, have been detained in detention facilities without air conditioning.
He publishes a photo of Simon Aikut and the 5 being brought to court and writes that the Greek Cypriot family that has appealed to the "real estate committee" for their property, in which a complex of 75 houses has now been built, but did not receive an answer, went on the spot to see the changes that took place there, where entry is not prohibited and for 10 days they have been detained in non-air-conditioned cells.
"Ozgür" recalls that at the beginning of the arrest of the 5 people, reports were broadcast by media that are known to be close to Turkey that they were spies. It also reports that a resident of a house in the complex where the 5 Greek Cypriots were arrested, told "Özgür" that after the arrest the "police" called him to complain about the five.
The publication claims that the fact that for 10 days the five elderly Greek Cypriots have been detained in cells without air conditioning is a "political retaliation" to the detention of Aykut who is facing trial in the Republic of Cyprus.
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The curtain has fallen on the largest case of sham marriages that ended up in the Cypriot Courts. The Permanent Assize Court of Larnaca imposed today (31/7) 4-year prison sentences on each of the four members of the international circuit.
They are a 40-year-old man from Pakistan, his 45-year-old wife from Portugal, who was recruiting brides and two Indians, 38 and 26 years old, members of the illegal network in Cyprus. The court also imposed a 15-month prison sentence on a 29-year-old Indian man, who performed a sham marriage with a Portuguese national, in order to secure a stay in the Republic of Cyprus.
It is noted that 11 other men and one woman are on trial, in relation to the same case, before the Larnaca District Court. These are persons who performed sham marriages in Cyprus. The four members of the ring were found guilty of charges related to conspiracy to defraud the Republic of Cyprus and specifically the Department of Civil Registry and Migration, assisting illegal entry, participation in a criminal organization, as well as participation and acceptance of committing crimes. The fifth person was found guilty of one charge of securing registration with false representations.
The court used derogatory words against the members of the circuit, stating that it is imperative to impose deterrent penalties. "Defendants 1 to 4 (the members of the ring) participated in an organized criminal organization by recruiting women from Portugal to send them to Cyprus to perform sham marriages," said the president of the Assize Court, Loizos Mougis.
He also noted that "without hesitation and inhibition, they set up a criminal group in order to make a profit".
The court also focused on the frequency with which such cases come before it, where foreigners, as it stressed, "in their attempt to enter or remain in the Republic of Cyprus, work out various methods and ways to achieve their goal".
It is recalled that the case was revealed on January 29, 2024 after a simultaneous European operation by Cyprus, Portugal and Latvia, codenamed "Operational Task Force Limassol". The information to the Cypriot authorities was received in November 2020 and after many months of investigations, it was revealed that women, as well as men from Portugal and Latvia, were traveling to Cyprus and performing sham marriages with citizens of third countries, mainly Indians and Pakistanis, in order for the latter to secure a residence permit in the Republic and then travel to other European countries. As it was found from the investigations that followed, the criminal group had been active since at least 2018 and managed to perform 132 mock weddings, most of them at the Aradippou Town Hall. Three brides from abroad testified at the trial, via videoconference, whose testimony was judged to be reliable.
The case was handled on behalf of the prosecution by Elena Cleridou.
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A major operation against counterfeit trade was carried out on July 30 by the Customs Department in cooperation with the Police Office for the Fight Against Intellectual Property Theft and Illegal Betting Offences, in tourist areas of free Famagusta.
During the searches, carried out in seven stores (three in Protaras and four in Ayia Napa), about 4,000 pieces of clothing products and accessories – including watches, sunglasses, bags, hats and wallets – were found to be misleading as authentic, in violation of Intellectual Property Rights.
The owners of the four shops in which the goods were found admitted the offences and proceeded to abandon the confiscated items for destruction. In addition, they accepted an out-of-court settlement, paying a total of €4,300, an amount that includes the costs of destruction.
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A large quantity of cannabis, ecstasy pills and cocaine was found and confiscated last night by the Police, in a park in Limassol. To facilitate the investigations, the Police proceeded early this afternoon to the arrest of three persons, aged 20, 23 and 24.
Specifically, after information, around 9 p.m yesterday, members of the YKAN and the Limassol OPE went to a park in Limassol. There they located three people, who as soon as they realized the police officers fled and managed to escape taking advantage of the darkness.
At the place where the three persons were, a large number of nylon packages containing, containing:
- a quantity of cannabis, gross weight of three kg,
- a quantity of cocaine, gross weight of 79 grams, and
- 100 ecstasy pills.
The following were also identified and confiscated:
- the sum of €1,790,
- a precision scale,
- adhesive tape
- empty nylon bags and
- other objects.
Instructions for the immediate investigation of an incident in which a Police service vehicle is involved, were given by the Chief, Themistos Arnaoutis. Specifically, in a video published by the website OmegaLive, the patrol car can be seen violating a red traffic light at a pedestrian crossing while a woman was attempting to cross.
As the Police states in a statement, regarding today's publication of an online news website, in which a Police service vehicle is recorded violating a red traffic light at a pedestrian crossing, it is noted that instructions have already been given by the Police Leadership, for immediate actions to investigate the incident and take measures against the driver.
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The fatal car accident the day before yesterday on Larnaka Avenue, in the center of Nicosia, with 20-year-old Kyriakos Antoniou as a victim, is accompanied by questions raised by citizens and neighbours. The latter raise the question of whether the accident could have been prevented.
In the context of the search for answers to the tragic event, "F" was brought to the attention of an authoritative information source, that the 24-year-old driver of the car involved in the traffic accident, has a number of traffic violations that make up the profile of a person, which does not comply with the Road Traffic Code.
In simple words, it has been established that the person in question had been identified by the Police and checked for cases involving traffic offenses. Our information, in fact, states that there was also a complaint about speeding. The issue that arises in this case is what exactly the traffic offences of the past were, whether the legislation is adequate, and whether justice had adequately played its role.
Information for 150 km.
However, it should be clarified that until yesterday the aforementioned 24-year-old driver had not been arrested for the fatal accident. No aggravating testimony had emerged that would justify his arrest in order to facilitate the police examinations for the traffic accident.
First of all, it should be clarified that the victim was attempting to turn right at the time of the collision and the vehicle coming from Nicosia towards the University area and driven by the 24-year-old had priority, but -based on information- was moving at a dizzying speed.
According to the initial examinations of the Police, the 24-year-old was driving his car at three times the limit, that is, about 150 km per hour. Information told us that the Police were waiting until yesterday for the results of a scientific examination by the car manufacturer, in order to determine the speed.
As we were told by our source, if the speed estimate is confirmed, then "it is considered certain that the Police will apply for an arrest warrant". The 24-year-old driver and his 23-year-old passenger did not test positive for alcohol and drug tests. Nor was any prohibited object found in their car. Today there will be a re-enactment of the traffic accident on the road where the fatal accident occurred.
A person with knowledge of the conditions of the traffic accident spoke of a "game of fate". He explained that the unfortunate Kyriakos, who was heading from the roundabout of the University to Nicosia on Larnaca Avenue, had initially taken the wrong lane. He had politely asked the driver to give him space to turn right, which he did, so that a new tragedy could be written on the asphalt.
The Police are in the crosshairs
The Police found themselves in the crosshairs yesterday, as for years officials had denounced the issue of the use of the road by young people in an uncontrollable way. Indicative are the positions of the deputy mayor of Aglantzia, Andreas Constantinou.
He spoke of a number of letters to the Police in recent years, but also of a serious traffic accident at the beginning of the decade that resulted in a young driver being stuck in a wheelchair.
The issue was also raised by "F" (31/8/2024), with a report in which he spoke of "high speeds, reckless driving and frequent accidents on Larnaca Avenue" that "have caused terror to residents". At the time, the official of the Traffic Police Headquarters, Harris Evripidou, had said that they are not allowed to install fixed cameras.
"We are sending mobile cameras to the scene," he underlined, clarifying that incidents have increased recently. However, regarding Larnacos Avenue, Mr. Evripidou had mentioned that it is not considered a black spot and that most accidents are minor, with no human losses.
Moreover, the Police reported yesterday that since 1/1/25 786 complaints have been made in Larnaca and that more than 90% were related to exceeding the speed limit.
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Cyprus Mail
A 36-year-old Israeli man appeared in court in Kyrenia on Thursday after having been arrested the previous day following an Interpol red notice in his name, after he was accused of having committed a murder in Israel.
The man was arrested on Wednesday and the Turkish Cypriot authorities swiftly moved to declare him a persona non grata and issued a warrant for his deportation.
In court on Thursday, police officer Umut Beyazlar explained that he had been identified by officers in Kyrenia.
He said the man had presented a Spanish passport and told the police his name was “Andros Garcia”, but that further examinations found that the passport was fake.
He said the fake Spanish passport had been used by the man to cross from the Republic to the north at the Ayios Dhometios crossing point on May 7.
Judge Zehra Yalkut Bilgec ordered that the man be remanded in custody for two days.
The man is, according to Israeli newspaper the Jerusalem Post, wanted in connection with the murder of a man named Almog Peretz in 2024.
The newspaper wrote on Thursday that the man had also “shot and injured another man and woman” in the same incident, which took place in the Israeli coastal town of Ashdod.
Additionally, it reported that the Israeli police had at the very least a hand to play in the suspect’s arrest incident, stating that the operation was headed by an Israeli police unit.
Meanwhile, chief superintendent Roee Waldman, the highest-ranking officer in the area of Israel in which the murder of Peretz occurred, said her police unit has “worked relentlessly” since 2024 to track the man down.
“Through professional and high-quality evidence gathering, they conducted a cross-border manhunt lasting about a year and four months. Today, we achieved the long-awaited result – the murder suspect was arrested in Cyprus,” she said.
“We are sending a clear and unequivocal message – the long arm of the Israel police will reach anyone, anywhere, and at any time, who commits such a vile crime.”
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A “person who is known to the authorities” survived an attempted murder in the Larnaca district on Thursday, according to reports.
News website Alpha reported that the crime was committed “in broad daylight” in a “rural area” between the Larnaca suburb of Aradippou and the nearby town of Dromolaxia.
It also reported that a perpetrator, who is yet to be identified, “fired several shots” at the target, who was cycling at the time. Newspaper Fileleftheros reported that the target is a 49-year-old man.
The police are said to have “launched a manhunt” to locate the perpetrator.
The target, meanwhile, is said to not have been injured in the incident, and to have reported it to the authorities.
Alpha reported that the police “rushed to the scene” and are “combing the area” in their search for the person who fired the shots.
These investigations, it said, include searches of buildings in the area, and the use of a police helicopter to scan the ground from above.
It also reported that the police found a “small motorcycle which appears to have been abandoned in a nearby area”, and which is believed to have been “related” to the incident.
According to Fileleftheros, the perpetrator was riding the motorcycle when he fired the shots.
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A 74-year-old man was remanded for four days by Larnaca district court on Thursday for the attempted destruction of property.
The warrant was issued to facilitate police investigations into a crime committed on July 21 in Aradippou concerning possible arson and the use of explosives.
According to the police, the suspect is Greek Cypriot and was arrested on Wednesday, ahead of his court appearance on Thursday.
On July 21 after midnight, an explosion occurred in vehicle belonging to a 74-year-old man, exclusively used by a 49-year-old woman, parked in the parking lot of an apartment building in Larnaca.
The fire caused by the explosion was extinguished by the police and the fire brigade after arriving at the scene. It was later determined that the explosion was caused by an improvised device.
The court has renewed the remands of two other suspects aged 64 and 50.
