SIMON AYKUT LEFT CYPRUS - MINISTRY OF JUSTICE - ''ASSURANCE FROM ISRAEL THAT HE WILL SERVE THE REST OF HIS SENTENCE'' - Filenews 18/4 by Fanis Makridis
By decision of the Minister of Justice, Kostas Fitiris, the transfer of the 75-year-old usurper, Simon Aykut, to Israel, where he will serve the rest of his sentence, was implemented.
It is recalled that the relevant transfer request was handled by the Minister immediately after taking office and efforts were being made to comply with "all the necessary procedures".
However, based on the legal procedure, it is up to the respective Minister how to act. This scenario had been recorded by "F" from the first day that a five-year prison sentence was imposed on the 75-year-old admittedly usurper of Greek Cypriot properties in the occupied territories.
The issue was discussed in circles that know the facts about the case and had been raised in "F" in the form of information. As we wrote, the script had Aykut "preparing a request in order to serve his sentence in his country of origin" and especially Israel.
We noted that in case of verification of the scenario, the burden would fall on the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Cyprus, as it is at his discretion whether to give the final "OK".
In the event that a person sentenced to imprisonment is transferred to another country, then he or she is serving the sentence on the basis of the rules in force in that state.
The Permanent Criminal Court of Nicosia sentenced Aykut to five years in prison for each of the 40 charges of embezzlement he admitted, which relate to "fraudulent transactions in real estate belonging to another".
The penalties are concurrent. In fact, on the basis of the legislation, the time he was remanded in custody will be counted, i.e. he is considered to be serving his sentence from 19/06/2024. The offense, according to the verdict, took place over a period of 10 years and 5 months "and concerned, among other things, 40 pieces of land, with a total value of €38,948,000 and with the total area of these plots amounting to 394,969 sq.m.".
Aykut had been in custody since the summer of 2024 for the case, a period of time that counts towards his total sentence.
What is stated by the Ministry of Justice
The Ministry of Justice gave the assurance that the transfer to Israel of Simon Mistriel Aykut, convicted of large-scale usurpation of Greek Cypriot property, does not entail a reduction of his sentence.
Filenews recently submitted a relevant question around 19:30 to the spokesperson of the Ministry, Nikoleta Tyrimou, who stressed that "Israel recognized the amount of the sentence and the serious offenses of the convicted".
He then clarified: "The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Cyprus has received written confirmation from the Ministry of Justice of Israel that the convicted person will serve the remainder of his sentence."
From the first moment that the issue of Aykut's transfer to Israel in order to serve his sentence there was raised, the dominant position expressed in political discussions was that his possible transfer would result in his early release with negative consequences for our national problem. It was believed by many that with possible leniency towards an admitted usurper, a strong message would not be sent to prevent phenomena of usurpation of Greek Cypriot properties.
However, the Ministry of Justice is considered to have received all the necessary assurances to prevent such an eventuality.
Ms. Tyrimou added that "given that Israel accepted the sentence in its entirety as well as the seriousness of the offense, the Republic of Cyprus should have responded to the request."
It should be noted that Aykut was transferred to his country of origin yesterday on the basis of a multilateral international agreement in which Cyprus and Israel participate.
