Pafos Live 28/9
In the last 24 hours, the authorities proceeded with a new seizure of large quantities of duty-free tobacco products at the airports of Larnaca and Paphos.
Yesterday, following information, officials of the Customs Department at Paphos Airport, located two 35-year-old British men bound for Liverpool, having 210 boxes of duty-free cigarettes in their luggage.
The two suspects were arrested and will be brought before a court today.
In a second incident, last Thursday, officials of the Customs Department at Larnaca Airport, again evaluating information, found two passengers bound for Manchester and London, having large quantities of duty-free cigarettes in their luggage.
Specifically, a total of 180 cigarette boxes were found in the luggage of the first and about 10 cigarette boxes in the luggage of the second.
The first passenger was taken to court and detained for three days, while the second was released, after his request for an out-of-court settlement was accepted, with the payment of €600.
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Filenews
The Police arrested four people as part of the preventive operations.
Among other things, they were arrested for various offenses such as illegal stay on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus and traffic offenses.
As part of these operations, during the night, 594 vehicles were stopped for inspection and 751 persons on board were checked. At the same time, 36 inspections were carried out in premises with the aim of dealing with phenomena of delinquency, during which 3 complaints emerged.
During traffic checks carried out, 343 complaints were made, concerning various traffic violations, while 4 investigated cases of traffic violations also emerged.
Of the complaints made, 111 concerned exceeding the speed limit, while as part of the police examinations, 10 vehicles were detained.
122 alcohol tests were carried out, from which 5 complaints emerged, as well as 5 preliminary drug tests with three positive results.
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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The Police arrested a 62-year-old woman for violating the terms of a private security guard's license yesterday, with the authorities handcuffing three other persons in the same area, after it was found that they were performing the duties of a private security guard without a license.
Members of the Police went around 11 am yesterday to a specific area, to investigate information related to the employment of persons as private guards without a relevant permit.
The police approached a woman who was at the entrance of the space and was operating the electric gate. The examinations revealed that she is a 62-year-old woman who is employed by a specific company providing private security guard services and held a relevant license.
Further examinations, however, revealed that the guarding of the area had been assigned to another private security guard service company, therefore the 62-year-old was arrested for the self-inflicted crime of violating the terms of a private security guard's license.
Two other women, aged 30 and 31, as well as a 75-year-old man, were found at the scene, who were acting as private security guards without holding a relevant license. The above persons were arrested for flagrante delicto.
All those arrested were taken to the Agios Ioannis Police Station in Limassol where they were charged in writing and released to be summoned before a Court.
The owner of the specific company was also summoned to the Station, who was questioned in writing. The Agios Ioannis Police Station continues the examinations.
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The 19-year-old fugitive from the Lakatamia Police Detention Center was located in Limassol.
According to information from Filenews, his location was made after information obtained by the Information Management and Analysis Service, which led the authorities to a specific area of the city, where a three-day operation was underway to locate and arrest him.
In a statement, the Police states that the arrest of the fugitive was the result of the immediate mobilization, the systematic investigation and the operational effort of its members.
At the same time, he clarifies that the successful outcome of the operation does not negate the fact that it was preceded by an escape, which, as he notes, will be evaluated "seriously and without embellishments".
The police announcement is as it is
The arrest of the fugitive is the result of the immediate mobilization, the systematic investigation and the operational effort of the Police.
The members of the Police worked with professionalism and perseverance to locate and arrest him.
The successful outcome of the operation, however, does not negate the fact that it was preceded by an escape which must be evaluated seriously and without embellishments.
Booking security doesn't just depend on the effort and conscientiousness of the staff. It requires appropriate and safe facilities, sufficient and properly trained staff, clear procedures as well as effective and systematic controls especially when there is overcrowding!
For this reason, in addition to investigating the circumstances of the specific escape, the existing detention and security procedures will be evaluated as a whole, so that where weaknesses are found, corrective measures can be taken immediately.
Success is not just about dealing effectively with an incident when it happens. It is, first and foremost, to create the conditions so that it is prevented. This is our main goal!
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Trial of the mayor of Ayia Napa: CTO officials testified about the alleged sponsorship fraud of €765.486A senior official of the CTO and a secretary of the Social Residential Tariff testified today (28/9) as Prosecution Witnesses in the trial of the mayor of Ayia Napa, Christos Zannettos, who is facing serious charges, in connection with a case of irregular securing of European sponsorship.
Mr. Zannetou is accused of falsifying the financial statements of a hotel for the year 2007, which were submitted in 2009 to the Social Residential Tariff in order to secure a European sponsorship of €765,486. The defendants in this case are himself, who at the time in question was a shareholder and manager of the hotel, as well as the company L. IOANNOU & Z. PIERIS LIMITED, as a legal entity. It is noted that Mr. Zannettou denied guilt to the charges he faces.
The issue was brought to light by the Audit Office, which in a special report on the CTO in 2019 had stated that amounts included in the balance sheet of the company's financial statements for the year 2007 and related to borrowing "are presented with smaller amounts, which shows that the submitted financial statements were falsified".
During today's proceedings before the Permanent Criminal Court, the senior Internal Audit officer of the CTO, Ilias Liasi, read the testimony he had given to the Police, in which he stated that an audit had been carried out for a hotel unit in relation to an application he had submitted, when a Plan for the allocation of funds from the European Union was announced.
The witness was cross-examined by the defense attorney of the mayor of Ayia Napa, Ilias Stefanou, who submitted that the report on the sponsorship was prepared by his subordinates, with Mr. Liasis answering in the affirmative, noting that he signed it after examining it. Mr. Stefanou also asked if there was approval from the Internal Audit Service of the Republic and the CTO, with the witness answering in the affirmative.
During the process, the assistant secretarial officer of the CTO, Danae Antoniadou, who was responsible for receiving the applications, also testified. The next hearing has been set for October 8 and the first prosecution witness who was absent abroad today will testify at it.
It is noted that the indictment was given to Christos Zannettos in July 2024, shortly after his re-election. The start of the trial, however, was delayed for about 2 years, since for various reasons, there were six consecutive postponements.
