On September 10, the trial for the case against the suspended Mayor of Paphos, Phaedon Phaedonos, will continue. Today's scheduled hearing will not take place, as the prosecution was unable to ensure the presence of additional witnesses. Therefore, the case was set to continue on September 10.
The hearing continued yesterday, Thursday, behind closed doors, before the Permanent Criminal Court sitting in Paphos.
The proceedings are conducted without the presence of the public, following a decision of the Court that accepted a request to that effect by the prosecution.
According to information, to date, about ten prosecution witnesses have testified, while initially eighteen were still left. However, due to the intention of the two sides to agree on an admissible number of facts, it is estimated that the total number of witnesses who will eventually be called to testify will be limited to about twenty.
Among the persons expected to testify at the next hearings is the complainant. In the meantime, information states that it is possible that an issue will arise about the way the complainant will testify.
A testimony before a court in such a case can be made either in person before the courtroom, or by screen, or through another office at the Paphos Courthouse and online via teleconference.
The prosecution is represented, until the completion of the proceedings before the Permanent Criminal Court of Paphos, by the Senior Advocate of the Republic, Mikaella Pasiardi.
As part of the evidentiary process, members of the investigative team have already testified, while after the presentation of the evidence, the summoning of witnesses continued this week through which the prosecution is attempting to substantiate the charges facing the accused. Persons who had given sworn statements during the police investigation stage are then expected to testify.
The suspended Mayor of Paphos faces five charges related to rape, indecent assault on a woman, indecent assault on a woman with another act, assault causing actual bodily harm and administration of a drug or other substance capable of narcotic or neutralizing the resistance force of a person. He has stated that he does not admit to any of the charges and the case is pending before the Court.
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The trial of the case against the 37-year-old father, who faces a charge of causing death due to reckless, reckless or dangerous act, in relation to the death of his three-year-old child, begins today, Friday, July 31, 2026 at 10 am, before the Paphos District Court.
Until the start of the trial, the accused had been released under strict restrictive conditions.
Specifically, the 37-year-old was forced to deposit a cash guarantee of €20.000, be placed on the stop list, hand over all his travel documents, present himself once a week for signature at the Paphos Central Police Station, not pass through the barricades and declare to the Police his full residence address.
After complying with all the conditions imposed by the Court, the 37-year-old was released from prison until today's hearing.
It is recalled that the Attorney General gave instructions for the criminal prosecution of the 37-year-old, after evaluating all the testimony collected as part of the police investigations.
The British father accused of negligence after the death of his three-year-old son who fell from a hotel balcony in Paphos in early July will return to court on Monday, when the court is expected to hear an application seeking to temporarily lift his bail restrictions so he can travel to the United Kingdom to attend the boy’s funeral.
The application was not dealt with during Friday’s proceedings at Paphos district court and was adjourned until Monday.
The father, 37, has been charged with causing death by a rash, reckless or dangerous act.
Bail conditions set during an earlier court appearance include bail of €20,000 and appearing at a police station once a week.
The boy died on July 12 after falling from a fourth-floor window at a luxury hotel in Chlorakas, near Paphos, on the first day of the family’s holiday.
Police have said the child fell while playing with his father in a corridor outside the family’s room as they were waiting for a lift. Investigators believe the boy slipped from his father’s grip and fell through an open window.
The father was arrested later the same evening.
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The Police are investigating a case of robbery with a 23-year-old victim, which was committed today in Ayia Napa.
According to the data under examination, around 4 a.m., while the 23-year-old was walking on a street in Ayia Napa, he was attacked by two unknown persons.
According to the complaint, the two perpetrators managed to immobilize the 23-year-old and then steal his bag and the amount of money of €430. The perpetrators then fled.
The 23-year-old visited the General Hospital of Famagusta where he was given first aid and was discharged.
The T.A.E Famagusta continues the examinations
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Pafos Press
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 police operations, 11 persons were arrested for offenses such as illegal possession of drugs, illegal stay in the territory of the Republic, extortion of money by false representations, illegal entry, committing traffic offenses, etc.
As part of these operations, during the night, 440 drivers and 133 passengers were stopped and checked. At the same time, 37 inspections of premises were carried out, with the aim of dealing with phenomena of delinquency, where a complaint arose.
During traffic checks carried out, 191 complaints were made, concerning various traffic violations, while seven investigated cases of traffic violations also emerged.
Of the complaints made, 92 driver complaints for exceeding the speed limit stand out, while as part of the police examinations, three vehicles were detained.
192 alcohol tests were carried out, where seven complaints emerged, while two drivers tested positive in preliminary drug tests.
Policing operations, for the prevention and suppression of crime, continue daily, with an increased/enhanced police presence, targeted controls and immediate operational action, with the aim of increasing the sense of security of citizens/protecting citizens and ensuring public order.
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New details have come to light about the horrific death of the two boys, aged 8 and 10, who were found dead in their stepmother's car in Xylofagou, on the afternoon of June 28. During today's hearing before the Court of the British Bases, which took place via teleconference, the lawyer of the 30-year-old father, Christos Theodoulou, spoke, who submitted a request for permission to be given to his client to go to Bulgaria for the funeral of the children.
During his speech, Mr. Theodoulou questioned the findings of the experts, who, as revealed by Filenews, showed damage to the door of the fatal vehicle, which remained unlocked, despite the fact that the car was locked. The children, according to the findings, managed to enter the car through this door and were then locked in the car and trapped in it, since the child lock was also activated.
According to Mr. Theodoulou, the CCTV shows one child getting in and then getting out of the car and then getting back into it. "This contradicts the experts' findings that there was a problem with the vehicle's locking system," he claimed. What was not clarified, however, is whether the door closed after one child left.
At another point in his speech, he categorically rejected that the father, who faces two serious charges of causing death due to a reckless and reckless act, acted recklessly and that he left his children without custody, claiming that his brother and cousin took care of them. "The circumstances of the family must be taken into account. The father had to work on Sundays as well due to financial problems. The mother did not want the children and they grew up with their grandmother. The father had two options, either to leave them to the state, or to bring them to Cyprus," he noted.
In addition, he asked that the father be allowed to go to the funeral of his children either accompanied by police officers from the Bases or the Republic. Citing the International Cooperation in Criminal Matters Law of 2021, he submitted a request that his client be released on parole, since he is at risk of losing his job and must provide money to his other child.
For his part, the representative of the Prosecution Authority categorically rejected that there is a legal mechanism that allows the execution of decrees of the BB Court by the Republic, noting that what is in force is cooperation between the Bases Police and that of the Republic of Cyprus.
He also asked for both the father's request to go to the funeral of his children and the request to release him on parole, noting that the father, when he got off work, went to a kiosk to consume alcoholic beverages. She also read part of the initial testimony of the children's stepmother, who claimed that her partner, when she was drinking, beat her. "When I went home that day he told me on the phone that he was at a kiosk and that he was going to have a beer and come. I put my clothes in two suitcases to leave and then I found the children," she reportedly said in her testimony. It is noted that this testimony, according to the father's defense, was later withdrawn.
At this point the chief justice, Brian Cummings KC, who was in Britain, interrupted the proceedings which will resume tomorrow at 10:30. It is noted that in addition to the journalists and relatives of the accused, only the representative of the Prosecution had a physical presence in court. The father's lawyer spoke directly with his office in Larnaca, while the father watched the proceedings together with a translator via a direct connection to the BB prison.
It is recalled that the two siblings had been left unattended, since the father rushed to work in Limassol on the morning of June 28, while his 38-year-old partner, who had been arrested, but was released along the way, did the same.
The father, as heard in court, allegedly went to work in Limassol at 4:30 in the morning and returned to his apartment in Xylofagou, after the children were found dead. Based on the findings of the investigations of the BB's Crime Detection Department (CID), it was decided that the 30-year-old should face a stricter charge, since he allegedly did not return home, but went to another place. The movements of the two children were recorded by a closed-circuit surveillance camera, which is activated through movement.
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In the context of investigating a case concerning the offenses of acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm, threats, as well as reckless and dangerous driving, the Police proceeded to arrest a 23-year-old man.
According to the data under examination, the 23-year-old was yesterday afternoon in a car repair shop in an area of the Nicosia district, where he allegedly shouted and threatened other people who were in the area.
Members of the Police were called to the scene and upon their arrival, the 23-year-old entered his vehicle. Then, after starting at speed, he dragged a 43-year-old bystander, causing injuries to his legs and elbows.
An arrest warrant was obtained against the 23-year-old, pursuant to which he was arrested today in the early hours of the morning and taken into custody for the purpose of facilitating investigations.
The Pera Chorio Police Station continues the examinations.
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A fire broke out on Thursday night in a house in the area of Agioi Anargyroi, in the province of Larnaca, with the authorities finding that the fire was caused by a malicious act.
According to the Fire Service, the call was received at 09:56 and the Larnaca Fire Station "Lieutenant Andreas Papadopoulos" responded to the scene with two fire trucks.
The fire was brought under control at 10:23, without endangering any person, as there were no people inside the house.
From the fire and heat, extensive damage was done to the living room and the contents of the house, while the electrical installation and painting of the masonry were also affected.
The scene was cordoned off by the Police for investigation purposes.
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As part of the investigation of a case involving a case of extortion of money with false representations, the Police proceeded last night to arrest a 67-year-old man, against whom an arrest warrant had been issued and he was wanted.
The case under investigation concerns an offense committed in January 2024 in the province of Paphos, with the total amount of money allegedly extorted amounting to €9,800.
According to a complaint made to the Police, the 67-year-old allegedly presented himself as the owner of a company and agreed with the complainant about the installation of photovoltaic panels. The 67-year-old allegedly received the money that had been agreed, but did not proceed to complete the work.
As part of the investigation of the case, it was also found that there is no registered company with the name allegedly mentioned by the 67-year-old.
TAE Paphos continues the exams
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The Limassol Traffic Police arrested a 34-year-old foreigner around 11:10 on Thursday night, after a check on the bypass road.
According to the data of the case, the 34-year-old was driving at a speed of 177 km/h instead of the allowed limit of 80 km/h. At the same time, he was subjected to an alcohol test with a reading of 29 μg instead of the maximum allowed limit of 22 μg, while he was also found under the influence of drugs.
The driver was arrested and the case is immediately registered before the Court for trial.
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A work accident in Marathounta, in the province of Paphos occurred around 10:30 in the morning today,
According to preliminary examinations, four employees of a company were carrying out road repair work with a road construction machine, when, under circumstances under investigation, the machine overturned.
The three employees managed to get out of the machine and were taken to Paphos General Hospital for examinations.
The fourth worker was trapped and freed with the help of the Fire Service. He was then transferred to Paphos General Hospital.
The examinations are continued by members of the Police, the Paphos District Administration and the Department of Labour Inspection.
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in-cyprus
Cypriot and British authorities have arrested a man in the first overseas investigation under Britain’s National Security Act, in relation to alleged spying on an RAF base in Cyprus.
Rashad Sultanov, 45, a dual UK and Azerbaijani national of Islington, was arrested on Friday, July 17, and is being held in custody as extradition proceedings progress. The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised charges against him under the National Security Act.
Sultanov was arrested as part of an investigation led by Counter Terrorism Policing London into incidents at RAF Akrotiri between May 11, 2025, and June 22, 2025. He allegedly conducted hostile surveillance on the base, a prohibited place, and is alleged to have then shared information with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), a foreign intelligence service.
The Republic of Cyprus had filed a case against Sultanov at the Limassol Criminal Court, facing serious charges including alleged surveillance at the “Andreas Papandreou” air base in Paphos. However, the Attorney General, considering a request from British authorities, decided to suspend the case and pursue his extradition instead. The suspension took effect last Friday, and Sultanov was immediately re-arrested on the basis of the British request. A hearing was subsequently set for the relevant court in Limassol, where Sultanov, through his lawyer Efstathios Efstathiou, was to present his position.
Confidential information previously received by the Republic of Cyprus reportedly names Hajiyev as the «mastermind» of a network tasked with gathering information on Iran’s behalf, and alleges he recruited a number of agents, including Sultanov.
Monitoring RAF flights
British authorities also believe Sultanov monitored and recorded the frequency of British fighter jet flights, passing the information to Hajiyev. If convicted of the offences he is suspected of in Britain, he faces up to 14 years in prison.
The developments follow revelations first reported by Filenews in early June. British authorities had issued an arrest and extradition warrant known in legal circles as a TCA (Trade and Cooperation Agreement) warrant, a mechanism the UK has used since Brexit to approach EU member states on such matters. The Cypriot Ministry of Justice was awaiting the necessary supporting documentation from British authorities to justify the warrant.
The British request stems from allegations that Sultanov committed offences within areas falling under the jurisdiction of the Akrotiri bases, with British authorities maintaining that intelligence-gathering activity was carried out on British territory against their national interests. This comes at a time when the status of the bases and their involvement in Middle East military operations is occupying the Cypriot government, a situation recently covered in a Politico report on May 31, 2026.
Why not Cyprus
Filenews sought answers as to why authorities decided to extradite Sultanov to Britain rather than try his case in Cyprus, given that he had also allegedly conducted surveillance of Republic of Cyprus military installations. A person familiar with the work of the prosecuting authorities said most of his alleged intelligence-gathering activity related to the Akrotiri bases, from which he is believed to have obtained a large volume of visual material.
Intense interest
Since Sultanov’s arrest in the Republic on June 21, 2025, British authorities have shown intense interest in the case, with journalists from England travelling to Cyprus shortly afterwards in an attempt to obtain information on the circumstances of his detection. In November 2025, revealed by Filenews, the United Kingdom, through the EU’s Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust), approached the Republic of Cyprus requesting the formation of a Joint Investigation Team to further investigate the case, underscoring the interest British intelligence services have shown in it.
The case also connects to a wider alleged network linked to Hajiyev. Information secured by the Cyprus Police links him to a couple arrested in Cyprus on February 26, 2026. The individuals, a 28-year-old Azerbaijani man and a 27-year-old Estonian woman, were suspected of photographing locations of Israeli interest in Paphos. Classified intelligence suggested Hajiyev acted as their handler and arranged their travel to Cyprus.
Hajiyev’s name first gained public prominence in late 2022, when Azerbaijan’s State Security Service exposed a network of Azerbaijani citizens recruited by Iranian intelligence. An official announcement issued by Azerbaijan in November 2022 stated that its State Security Service was investigating the covert involvement of citizens in foreign military exercises and their funding by Iranian special services.
The statement identified Hajiyev, also known as Akram Hajizade, alongside Tohid Alim oglu Ibrahimbayli, Rovshan Elchin oglu Asadov, and Orkhan Kamran oglu Mammadov, as leaders of an illegal armed group formed under Iranian control. These individuals were placed on an international wanted list and are believed to be hiding in Iran.
Appeal from Efstathiou
An attempt by Sultanov’s defence to prevent his extradition to the United Kingdom was widely expected. On May 31, 2026, Efstathiou lodged an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), arguing that Sultanov’s detention at Nicosia Central Prison is unlawful and violates the European Convention on Human Rights. A separate legal remedy is also pending in the Republic of Cyprus.
The defence notes that during initial detention hearings, Cyprus Police stated they had secured classified data from a foreign intelligence agency linking the suspect to the IRGC, alleging he held details on Cypriot military installations and planned a terrorist attack. Sultanov maintains that this source intelligence was never disclosed to him or the court. He further maintains that its origin was not verified, and that no evidence was submitted to prove the legality of its collection, processing and transfer.
Sultanov faces a number of terrorism offences. He is alleged to have used specialised equipment to photograph the British Akrotiri bases, where the Royal Air Force is stationed, as well as the Andreas Papandreou Air Base. Investigators state he transmitted encrypted files containing these photographs to a liaison who may be connected to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
(With information from Sky News)
