Filenews 12 March 2026
The presence and action of the Police last night was intense, throughout Cyprus, with organized patrols in key points of urban areas, with the aim of preventing serious criminal acts, ensuring public order and increasing the sense of security of the public.
As a result of the preventive policing operations, five persons were arrested for various offenses, such as, among others, illegal possession of property, illegal possession of drugs and committing traffic offences.
As part of these operations, during the night, 730 vehicle drivers were stopped for inspection and 280 persons on board were checked. At the same time, 37 inspections of premises were carried out, during which 4 complaints emerged, with the aim of dealing with phenomena of delinquency.
During traffic checks carried out, 345 complaints were made, concerning various traffic violations, while 10 investigated cases of traffic violations also emerged. As part of the police examinations, 7 vehicles were detained.
Of the complaints made, the 164 complaints for exceeding the speed limit stand out. Three vehicle drivers were found positive in preliminary tests of driving under the influence of drugs. There were also 146 tests for driving under the influence of alcohol in which one driver tested positive.
Coordinated policing operations, for the prevention and suppression of crime, continue daily, with an enhanced police presence, targeted controls and immediate operational action, in order to protect citizens and ensure public order.
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The Police arrested a 24-year-old person today, as part of an investigation into an arson case.
Around 6 a.m. today, information was received about a fire in an apartment in Larnaca. The fire was extinguished by members of the Fire Service, while there were no injuries.
During the investigation of the case, testimony emerged against a 24-year-old, who was arrested and taken into custody to facilitate investigations, while tomorrow he is expected to appear before a Court.
TAE Larnaca continues the exams.
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Before a Criminal Court that will meet on April 23, four persons were indicted yesterday in connection with the discovery of 230 kilograms of drugs on 19/2/2025.
They are a 34-year-old, a 27-year-old and two 26-year-olds from Nicosia, who were in custody as suspects in connection with the case. Yesterday (11/3) they were brought before the Nicosia District Court, where the case was registered and their referral to trial before a Criminal Court was requested.
A case was registered against them on serious charges related to conspiracy and participation in a criminal organization, possession and trafficking of drugs and for some possession of firearms and explosives. The prosecution requested that the four defendants remain in custody until their trial. The 34-year-old's lawyer reserved his right to appeal at another stage, while the lawyers of the other three defendants objected to them being detained until their trial.
The Court, after hearing all sides, postponed the issuance of its decision on whether the other three defendants will remain in custody, until Friday at 9.30. Until then, everyone will be detained.
The huge amount of drugs was located on February 19 during an operation, when members of the Anti-Drug Service stopped a car in the area of Nicosia, driven by a 34-year-old man, with a 26-year-old passenger, for a check. In a subsequent search inside the vehicle, as announced by the Police, 11.480 firecrackers were found, resulting in the arrest of the 34-year-old for a flagrante delicto.
At the same time, dry cannabis plant matter weighing about 27 grams was found in the possession of the 26-year-old, as well as white powder, believed to be cocaine, weighing about nine grams, as a result of which he was also arrested for flagrant offenses.
Subsequently, a search was carried out in a house and premises connected to the 34-year-old, where the following were located and confiscated:
- 167 kg of dry cannabis plant matter
- 62 kg of cocaine
- 4.5 kg of cannabis resin
- A pistol, a revolver and a pistol dummy
- Two improvised bombs (possibly containing low-power explosives)
- Number of 9mm cartridges
- Amount of money amounting to €12.765
- Two glues, possibly impregnated with drugs
- 381 e-cigarettes that appear to contain narcotic substances.
The Supreme Court ordered the release of a Nigerian national who was in detention for the purpose of his deportation, ruling that the continuation of his detention was unlawful, as the competent authorities did not comply with the prescribed review procedures nor proceeded with due diligence in the process of his removal.
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Judge Christopher Malachtos in the context of an application for a privileged habeas corpus order filed by the Nigerian, who has been detained since September 7, 2025.
According to the facts of the case, the applicant entered the Republic of Cyprus illegally on an unknown date and on 18 August 2021 he submitted an application for international protection. The application was rejected by the Asylum Service on 9 November 2023, while his appeal to the Administrative Court of International Protection was also rejected on 18 March 2025. He appealed against the decision, which remains pending.
Following his arrest in September 2025, detention and deportation orders were issued against him. However, the deportation order was suspended on the same day in order to investigate his marital status. Despite the suspension, the applicant remained in custody for several months.
The applicant argued before the Court that his detention was illegal, as the mandatory review of the detention order every two months by the Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection, as provided for by the Aliens and Immigration Law, had not been carried out. At the same time, he claimed that the authorities did not take action to deport him during his detention.
The Republic, through an affidavit of an officer of the Immigration Department, presented officer's notes with a recommendation for the continuation of the detention, citing the risk of the applicant escaping due to his immigration history and his non-compliance with a previous return decision. The Court, however, found that there was no evidence that the Secretary of State or an authorised person had actually approved or reviewed these notes, as required by law, which renders the continuation of detention illegitimate.
At the same time, the issue of the applicant's marital status was also examined. A letter from the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare revealed that he lives in Cyprus with his partner and their two minor children, aged one year and 28 days respectively. According to the letter, his possible immediate removal could have serious implications for family cohesion and the well-being of the mother and children, especially during the postpartum and neonatal care period.
The Court noted that the competent authorities had received this information as early as October 31, 2025, however four months later no decision had been made on whether to proceed with the deportation of the applicant, while the relevant decree remained suspended.
The judge pointed out that the detention of a third-country national in the context of return procedures should be kept as short as possible and should only be maintained as long as the removal process is carried out with due diligence. In the present case, it held that, since the deportation decision had not been taken within a reasonable period of time and the procedural guarantees of a review of detention had not been respected, its continuation had become unjustified and unlawful.
Therefore, the Supreme Court granted the application and issued a privileged writ of habeas corpus, ordering the applicant's immediate release.
At the same time, it awarded the applicant costs of €900 plus VAT, as well as €50 of actual costs, which the Republic of Cyprus is required to pay.
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The second rejection of the Supreme Court was received by a lifer of the Central Prison, who again attempted to secure a court order against the Prison Department for the protection of his safety, health and dignity, with the Court ruling that his request was general and abusive.
Specifically, the Supreme Court rejected an application by a convict serving a life sentence in the Central Prison, requesting permission to register an application for the issuance of a privileged mandamus warrant against the Director of the Prison Department and officers of the service.
The applicant is a convict, is being held in Ward 2A of the Central Prison and is serving a life sentence for two premeditated murders. His conviction was handed down on August 28, 2025 by the Limassol Criminal Court, after a hearing.
In his unilateral application, which was registered on March 6, 2026, the convict sought permission from the Supreme Court to proceed with proceedings for the issuance of a privileged mandamus warrant. Through the request, he sought to oblige the Director of the Prison Department, as well as the officers and prison guards of the service, to protect his physical integrity and health, to ensure his safety, to protect his personal property and not to treat him in a degrading or inhumane way.
The Court noted that this was the second application with exactly the same content. This was preceded by a similar application by the same person, which was rejected by a decision of the Court on 18 February 2026.
In his decision, the judge emphasized that the preferential mandamus warrant is an exceptional and preferential remedy issued to compel a public authority to perform a specific act. As he stated, the remedy sought in the present case is general and vague and does not concern a specific act or omission that could be ordered by the Court.
The judge also pointed out that the incarceration of a person in prison does not negate his fundamental human rights, beyond the restriction of his personal freedom. The competent authorities, he noted, have an obligation to ensure the protection of the life, physical integrity and health of prisoners, rights protected by the Constitution, legislation, international conventions and European law. He even reminded that the Constitution explicitly prohibits torture and any form of inhuman or degrading treatment.
However, as he pointed out, those self-evident rights cannot be the subject of a general order by means of a preferential mandamus order, which must relate to a clearly defined action. The Court also noted that, in the event that the applicant considers that his rights have been violated within the prisons, he has the possibility to appeal to the civil courts and claim remedies, including decrees or compensation.
In addition, it was held that the re-registration of the same application, with the same content that had already been rejected, constitutes an abusive procedure. The Court stated that the previous judgment had already indicated the generality of the request, which is still the case in the new application.
In light of the above, the Supreme Court concluded that there is no justification for granting permission to register an application for the issuance of a privileged mandamus warrant. The application was therefore rejected.
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The case of holding a car speed race (rally), which took place in March 2025 in a state forest, is now before the court, despite the negative response of the Department of Forests. The Republic of Cyprus, through the Department of Forests, has initiated private criminal proceedings against three persons for the offense of illegally conducting rally races in violation of the Forestry Law.
During today's proceedings in the Limassol District Court, the lawyer of the accused stated that his clients are unjustly accused, arguing that the defendants should have been the representatives of the Limassol Automobile Club, as, as he claimed, they were the organizing authority of the race.
On the part of the prosecution, which is represented by the lawyer Kyriakos A. Karatsis on behalf of the Attorney General of the Republic, he stated that the race was held under the auspices of the Cyprus Automobile Federation and for this reason, the proceedings were initiated against the specific persons, who are the president, the vice president and the general secretary of the said federation.
The arguments of both sides were brought before the Court, which postponed the hearing, so that the lawyers of the parties could be placed accordingly at the next hearing. The case was set for a hearing in April.
According to the indictment, the three defendants allegedly ignored the negative response of the director of the Department of Forests to a request to secure a permit to hold the rally in March 2025. Despite the rejection of the request and without the required permission from the Department of Forests, they proceeded, according to the accusation, to hold a speed race within the state forest in the Listovounos area of the Limassol district.
The case was registered before the Court on 22 September 2025 and was initially set for a hearing in October of the same year.
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It was reported to the Police by a 36-year-old employee of a photo-tagging company that, around 2.40 this morning, while he was with the vehicle of the said company for a photo-marking check on the Paphos - Limassol highway, by the Kouklia exit, he parked a car near him, in which three people were riding.
One of the three persons asked to talk to the complainant and after he opened the driver's door window a little, the unknown man allegedly sprayed his face while at the same time, the other two persons allegedly hit the company's car, causing damage to it.
The 36-year-old started the car and went to the Police where he made a relevant complaint.
The case is being investigated by the Paphos Police Department.
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Information about shootings in a café in Zakaki was received last night by the Limassol Police Department.
The scene was guarded by the Police and further examinations carried out today, two holes were found in the windows of the cafeteria, which were caused by a firearm being thrown.
At the end of the examinations, the tent was released.
The TAE Limassol continues the examinations.
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A five-year prison sentence was imposed today on a 33-year-old man by the Permanent Criminal Court of Larnaca, following a trial of an arson case, committed last July, in Larnaca. The case had been investigated by the Larnaca Police Department.
According to the evidence collected during the investigation of the case by the Police and presented before the Permanent Criminal Court by the Prosecuting Authority, the arson was committed around 6.45 in the morning, on July 12, 2025, when a property owned by a 58-year-old woman, which is adjacent to her residence and is used as a garage, was maliciously set on fire. The 58-year-old realized and immediately extinguished the fire, which caused damage to the garage.
During the investigation of the case by the Police, testimony emerged against the 33-year-old and a court warrant was issued for his arrest. The 33-year-old was located and arrested on July 14, by members of the TAE and the OPE Larnaca, (Police Press Release No. 1, dated 15/07/2025, relevant). Interrogated by members of the Police, the 33-year-old confessed to committing the arson.
