Pafos Live 21 July 2026
Two persons were arrested by members of the Police as part of an investigation into cases of driving under the influence of alcohol, causing a road collision, exceeding the speed limit, as well as assault on a police officer, drunkenness, concern and public insult.
The first incident happened shortly after midnight, in a village in the Paphos District where, under circumstances investigated by the Police, a 38-year-old car driver [with his 5 year old son as a passenger] crashed into the stone wall of a house.
The scene was visited by members of the Police where they located the 38-year-old, who was in a state of intoxication, shouting and causing concern. Then, after being asked to present the documents of himself and his vehicle, he reacted and pushed a member of the Police with his hands, as a result of which he was arrested for flagrante delicto.
The 38-year-old was also subjected to a driving test under the influence of alcohol with an indication of 100μg instead of 22μg which is the maximum limit allowed by law. He was taken into custody for the purpose of police examinations.
The case is being investigated by the Stroumbi Police Station.
The second incident happened, around 3.30 in the morning, on the Ayia Napa-Paralimni road, where a 32-year-old man was spotted by members of the Police driving his car at a speed of 145HAO instead of 65HAO, which is the allowed limit on this road.
The 32-year-old driver of the vehicle was stopped and arrested by the members of the Police and then subjected to a driving test under the influence of alcohol, with a final reading of 51μg instead of 22μg which is the maximum limit allowed by the Law. The police examinations also revealed that the 32-year-old was driving the car without a driver's license and without being covered by a safety certificate.
At the end of the police examinations this morning, the 32-year-old was brought before the Famagusta District Court, where the case of traffic offenses was registered, for immediate trial. After reviewing the testimony presented before him, the District Court found the 32-year-old guilty of committing the offenses of exceeding the speed limit, driving under the influence of alcohol, driving a vehicle without a driver's license, and driving a vehicle without an insurance certificate.
The Court sentenced the 32-year-old to two months in prison, with a three-year suspension, a sentence of deprivation of a driver's license for a period of two months, and the imposition of eight penalty points.
The case was investigated by the Paralimni Police Station and continues the examinations.
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Filenews
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, five persons were arrested for offenses such as, illegal possession of drugs, illegal possession of property, illegal stay in the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, etc.
As part of these operations, during the night, 449 drivers and 106 passengers were stopped and checked. At the same time, 41 inspections of premises were carried out, with the aim of dealing with phenomena of delinquency, where 2 complaints emerged.
During traffic checks carried out, 300 complaints were made, concerning various traffic violations, while 12 investigated cases of traffic violations also emerged.
Of the complaints made, 101 complaints from drivers for exceeding the speed limit stand out, while as part of the police examinations, 7 vehicles were detained. 80 alcohol tests were carried out without any complaints, while one driver tested positive in a preliminary drug test.
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The appeal of the German woman accused of usurpation of Greek Cypriot properties in occupied Kyrenia, against a decision of the Supreme Court not to give her permission to apply for the annulment of the decision of the Criminal Court regarding four European Investigation Orders, had no chance.
The German woman, who appealed to the Supreme Court on other occasions, is a defendant in the Criminal Case which is being tried by the Nicosia Criminal Court.
He faces charges concerning, inter alia, fraudulent transactions in immovable property belonging to another, and illegal possession and use of land, in violation of articles 303A(1) and 282(1)(a) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap. 154. E
While a police officer was testifying at the trial who would have made reference to the receipt of witness material by the German authorities during the execution of European Investigation Orders (EIOs), the defense raised, among other things, the issue of the validity of these Orders.
These were four Orders, which had been issued by a District Court and had already been submitted to the Criminal Court as evidence.
The Defense had suggested, among other things, that "the GMIs were issued by an incompetent Court, ie. the District Court of Nicosia, while the Criminal Court that has jurisdiction to hear the specific case should be competent".
The Prosecution argued, among other things, that for the violation of a European Investigation Order "Law 181(I)/2017 provides for the appeal for substantive reasons within 10 days from the issuance, a right which the defense never exercised, nor requested an extension".
Initially, the German appealed to the Supreme Court claiming, with a unilateral Application, permission to register an Application by summons for the issuance of a privileged Certiorari order, by which the above interim decision of the Criminal Court was annulled. A judge rejected her application and filed an appeal.
The Court of Appeal (three judges) ruled that the Criminal Court did not have jurisdiction to decide anything related to the validity of the issued European Investigation Orders (EIOs), which had already been submitted to it as presumptions.
However, he pointed out that the appellant could have challenged the European Mandates in question by filing an appeal, and not a request concerning the decision of the Criminal Court. Following that finding, it dismissed its appeal.
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The Republic of Cyprus has initiated proceedings for the extradition of 45-year-old Rashad Sultanov to the United Kingdom for espionage against Britain on Cypriot soil.
The offenses for which the suspect is being investigated by the British authorities have to do with the Akrotiri bases where the Royal Air Force of the old Albion (RAF) is based.
A case had been registered against Sultanov at the Limassol Criminal Court by the Republic and in fact the Azeri holder of a British passport was facing serious charges concerning, among other things, surveillance at the "Andreas Papandreou" air base in Paphos.
However, the Attorney General, considering a request from the British authorities, decided to suspend the case against him and launch an extradition process. The suspension was implemented last Friday and the indicted was immediately re-arrested on the basis of the request of the British.
Today, in fact, the start of proceedings in a competent Court in Limassol is set, where Sultanov, through his lawyer Efstathios Efstathiou, will put forward his own positions.
Iranian agent
It should be noted that, as "F" is in a position to know, the UK authorities consider that the 45-year-old Sultanov has a direct relationship with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).
According to the positions on which they base their request, he received visual material from the building facilities of the Bases and sent it to his "operator", who, according to information from our newspaper, is believed to be the Azer-Iranian, Elsad Elsin Hadjiyev, who is wanted on an international arrest warrant.
Classified information received in the past by the Republic of Cyprus indicates that Hadjiyev is the "mastermind" of a ring whose mission is to secure information on behalf of Iran and has recruited a number of agents, including Sultanov.
Flight frequency
In addition, the British believe that Sultanov monitored and recorded the frequency of flights of British fighter jets, passing the information on to Hadjiev. The offenses for which the 45-year-old is suspected in Britain carry - if convicted - a 14-year prison sentence.
The latest developments are linked to what "F" had revealed at the beginning of June. As we wrote, the British had issued an arrest and extradition warrant, known in legal circles as TCA (Trade and Cooperation Agreement). This warrant is issued by the United Kingdom after Brexit. With this, the British are now turning to the member states of the European Union for such issues.
Why not in Cyprus
Our newspaper attempted to get answers about the fact that it was decided to extradite Sultanov to Britain and not to try his case in Cyprus, given that the Azeri holder of a British passport had also monitored military installations of the Republic of Cyprus (see the "Andreas Papandreou" base). A person who has insight into the work of the prosecuting authorities said that most of Sultanov's alleged espionage activity concerned the Akrotiri Bases, from which it appears that he received a large amount of visual material.
Strong interest
As can be deduced from the developments, from the first moment that Sultanov's arrest emerged in the Republic, the British have shown a strong interest in the case. Shortly after his arrest on 21/6/2025, journalists from England had come to Cyprus in an attempt to obtain information about the circumstances under which the person in question was located.
In addition, as "F" had revealed in November 2025, the United Kingdom through the European Union Agency for Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters (Eurojust) appealed to the Republic of Cyprus requesting the establishment of a Joint Investigation Team to further investigate the case. These facts leave no doubt as to the interest of British intelligence services in the case.
Appeal by Efstathiou
The effort by Sultanov's defense to prevent his extradition to the UK should be taken for granted. We recall, after all, that on 31/5/2026 his lawyer, Efstathios Efstathiou, appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). Sultanov's defense considers that the 45-year-old is illegally detained in the Central Prison and that in his case there were violations of the European Convention on Human Rights. In addition, an appeal is pending in the Republic of Cyprus.
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The case of a 58-year-old woman's complaint of sexual offenses against her by her 44-year-old son-in-law was referred to a direct trial before the Limassol Permanent Criminal Court.
The case - which was revealed by philenews - was registered on Friday and referred for trial before the Limassol Permanent Criminal Court. The 44-year-old Greek Cypriot faces charges related to attempted rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment and psychological violence. The case was set for the start of the hearing in mid-September, while the accused was released on restrictive conditions until the start of the trial.
According to our information, the complainant gave a statement to the investigators of the TAE Limassol, describing a series of incidents. The shocking incident allegedly took place on Saturday, July 11, and after the complaint, the authorities proceeded to arrest the 44-year-old and the next day he was brought before a Court which issued a five-day detention order.
According to the complaint, the 44-year-old allegedly went to the house where his 58-year-old mother-in-law lives and then carried out acts that are being investigated by the authorities as attempted rape. According to the same information, the woman is in a vulnerable situation, as she is facing mental health problems.
The 58-year-old reportedly told the authorities that it was not the first time something similar had happened, claiming that lately the suspect had been asking her to have sexual intercourse, with her refusing. As he complained, however, the 44-year-old allegedly performed other sexual acts.
During his interrogation, the 44-year-old denied that he raped the 58-year-old and made various allegations. According to information, he allegedly stated that he was possessed by intense sexual drive and admitted that he performed sexual acts against the 58-year-old on two occasions.
An important item that is in the hands of the investigators is material, which was allegedly recorded by a third person during the reported incident. The presumption is expected to be presented, if necessary, in the context of the court proceedings.
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The 24-year-old, who is accused of the attempted murder of a 23-year-old, committed on June 9 outside a property in Kato Polemidia, will remain in the Central Prison until the start of the hearing before the Permanent Criminal Court of Limassol.
Today (20/7) the case was set for the first appearance before the Criminal Court and the 24-year-old was called to answer the charges he faces, with him denying guilt in all of them. The indictment includes the charges of attempted murder, causing grievous bodily harm and carrying a knife.
The case was set for a hearing at the end of September. On the part of the defense, the 24-year-old's lawyer objected to the further detention of his client. However, the Court rejected the request, ordering that he remain in the Central Prison until the start of the trial.
As philenews wrote in a previous publication, the 24-year-old, when questioned in writing, stated that what he has to say he will testify before the Court. It is noted that the victim, after the surgery and while he was in the hospital room, in the presence of a police officer, allegedly said: "He decorated me...", naming the 24-year-old. In addition, in his testimony, the 23-year-old stated that the person who injured him was the accused.
The 23-year-old also claimed that there had been a misunderstanding between them and that the 24-year-old attacked him, injuring him with a knife. As it was established, the two young men had allegedly confronted each other via Instagram over fan content issues, but other motives were not ruled out.
According to the Police, before the stabbings, there was a heated argument between the victim and another person, which developed into a bloody fight at noon on Monday, June 9 outside a café in Kato Polemidia. During the incident, the 23-year-old was seriously injured with a knife, while the perpetrator left the scene and fled. The 23-year-old suffered a six-centimeter-long serious injury to the ascending part of the right colon, as well as a rupture of the intestinal wall. In addition, a second traumatic injury about two centimeters long was found.
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The Police are making arrests of prisoners for the deliberate arson in cells and in the corridor of the maximum security wing of the Central Prison that broke out last night.
Information from Filenews states that investigators of the TAE Nicosia together with experts of the Fire Service went today to wing no. 4 in which prisoners set fire to cells and the corridor and carried out examinations. The way the fire was set has been identified while the investigations are focusing on four prisoners.
According to our same information, there were two instigators and it is possible that the Police investigators will proceed within the day to issue an arrest warrant for them in order to investigate the crime of arson and causing malicious damage.
According to the Fire Brigade, the staff of the Central Prisons had already proceeded to the safe removal of the prisoners, without putting anyone in danger. The fire had broken out at the same time at 10:15 p.m. and a member of the Prison staff was taken to the hospital as a precaution due to smoke inhalation. Long-term convicts live in Ward 4 mainly due to problematic behaviour and there is increased surveillance.
The incident was linked to the non-concession by the administration of extra time at the time they should have been confined to their cells, as a result of which they could not watch the World Cup final. It is noted that in the prisoners' cells in this wing there are no individual televisions as in other wings.
However, according to our own information, the real reason is that some prisoners who are in this wing wish to be transferred to other wings, because this particular wing does not have sockets due to measures and therefore they are not given the opportunity to have a television or mobile phones. Several prisoners have already submitted a request for their transfer for a long time without result.
In the meantime, PASYDY's reaction was intense in relation to the fire that broke out in the Central Prison. In a statement, the Prison Personnel Branch of PASYDY condemns in the strongest possible terms last night's incidents in the area of the Central Prisons and reiterates the urgent need that has existed for a long time to decongest the prison population with an immediate reduction in the number of prisoners. "Occupancy, which exceeds 200% and is the highest in the EU, combined with the lack of staff, inevitably lead to a limited possibility of universal control, in order to prevent and prevent the outbreak of such phenomena and incidents, such as yesterday's", says the Sector.
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The Court of Appeal rejected the appeal of the 44-year-old businessman and upheld the decision of the Larnaca District Court, which had ordered his detention until the trial of his case before the Criminal Court. The 44-year-old is accused of a case of extorting tens of thousands of euros from an elderly man.
The Court referred the appellant to trial at the Criminal Court, ordering at the same time, at the request of the Prosecuting Authority, that he be detained until the date of the trial.
The Court of Appeal examined the grounds of appeal related to the right to a fair trial and rejected the claim of lack of objective impartiality of the Judge of first instance. It held that the fact that the same Judge had previously ordered the detention of the appellant did not create a justified impression of prejudice, referring to the relevant case law.
The claim that the appellant's right to personal liberty was violated because, during a break in the proceedings, no express order to continue his detention was issued during a break in the proceedings was also rejected. The Court of Appeal held that the appellant was already in lawful detention throughout the proceedings and that there was no violation of the European Convention on Human Rights.
In addition, the claim that the impeachment process was invalid because the indictment was not read at the beginning of the indictment was also rejected. According to the decision, the current legislation does not require charges to be brought at the stage of referral to the Criminal Court, while the appellant had already received a copy of the indictment and the witness material.
The central issue of the appeal was the finding of the Court of First Instance that there was a risk of influencing witnesses. The Court of Appeal ruled that the defense's request for additional oral testimony by police officers was rightly rejected, noting that detention requests are examined on the basis of the evidence submitted before the Court and that the presentation of testimony is an exception.
The Court agreed that there was sufficient evidence to suspect a risk of influencing witnesses and held that there was no reason to interfere with the exercise of its discretion. He also noted that this risk is not limited to the complainant but also extends to the other witnesses in the case.
The Court of Appeal reminded that each reason for detention is independent and that, once it is found that one of the grounds for detention is valid, it is not necessary to examine the others. It therefore considered that there was no need to examine the grounds of appeal relating to the risk of absconding of justice and the risk of committing new offences, as well as the allegations of unequal treatment in relation to co-defendants who were released on parole.
The Court also pointed out that at the stage of examining a detention request, it is not allowed to assess the credibility of the testimony or the contradictions of the complainant's version, as such issues belong to the substantive trial of the case.
In conclusion, the Court of Appeal rejected all grounds of appeal, ruled that the first-instance decision was correct and upheld the appellant's detention order until the trial of the case in the Criminal Court.
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The Permanent Criminal Court of Paphos imposed an eight-year prison sentence today on a 44-year-old man, whom it found guilty after a rape case. The case had been investigated by the Paphos Police Department.
According to the complaint submitted to the Police, the rape was committed on 21/03/2023, in the province of Paphos, with a female victim.
Upon completion of the police examinations, the Police proceeded to immediately register the case on 27/03/2023, for trial by the Paphos Permanent Criminal Court.
After the Permanent Criminal Court examined the evidence collected by the Police and presented before it by the Prosecuting Authority, it found the 44-year-old defendant guilty and sentenced him to eight years in prison.
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Cy Mail
A British woman was on Monday arrested at Paphos airport after customs officers seized a total of 44 cartons of cigarettes in her luggage.
The cartons, containing 200 cigarettes each, did not bear the required health warnings, indicating that they had been brought to the Republic from the north.
The woman was arrested for evident offences but was later released after reaching an out-of-court settlement involving the payment of €2,800.
