Filenews 22/10
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 part of these operations, during the night, 563 vehicles were stopped for inspection and 654 persons on board were checked. At the same time, 31 inspections of premises were carried out, with the aim of dealing with phenomena of delinquency.
As part of the preventive policing operations, the members of the Police proceeded to arrest one person.
During traffic checks carried out, 175 complaints were made, concerning various traffic violations, while three investigated cases of traffic violations also emerged. As part of the police examinations, two vehicles were detained.
Of the complaints made about traffic violations, 81 complaints concerned exceeding the speed limit. A complaint was made for driving under the influence of alcohol, while a case of driving under the influence of drugs arose. For driving under the influence of alcohol, 39 checks were carried out on vehicle drivers, while for driving under the influence of drugs, five driver checks were carried out.
Policing operations, for the prevention and suppression of crime, continue every day, with an enhanced police presence, targeted controls and immediate operational action, in order to protect citizens and ensure public order.
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Members of the Police in Nicosia proceeded to the arrest of a second suspect, in connection with a case of assisting the illegal entry, transit and stay in the Republic. This is a 26-year-old man, who was arrested shortly before 9.00 last night, on the basis of a court warrant.
A 22-year-old man was arrested on 19/10/2026 for the same case, (Police Press Release No. 2, dated 19/10/2026, relevant). He is under eight-day detention, on the basis of a court order issued on 19/10/2026 by the Nicosia District Court, at the request of the Police, for the purpose of investigating the case.
This is the case of locating eight persons, who were identified by members of the YAM Headquarters, around 10.30 pm on 18/10/2026, in an area in Aglantzia, where, according to the data under examination, they entered illegally through the occupied areas of the Republic.
The TAE of Nicosia is investigating the case.
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The Police, in cooperation with the Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection, proceeded today to the immediate repatriation of 19 persons, third-country nationals, who remained illegally in Cyprus and were arrested during the recent police operation in Limassol.
The coordinated operation for the repatriation of 19 persons from the 20 persons arrested, was carried out by the Aliens and Immigration Service - YAM. The procedures for the repatriation of the 20th person arrested during the operation continue by the YAM.
The police operation was carried out with the participation of members of the YAM, the DAOE and the ADE Limassol. The members of the Police located the 20 persons in a complex of apartments where they lived and proceeded to arrest them, for the crime of illegal stay on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus.
Other co-competent Services, such as the Fire Service and the local Municipal Authorities, also participated in the operation.
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A 24-year-old Syrian man in Nicosia spent nightmarish hours at the hands of kidnappers, according to his complaint. Seven hooded men allegedly broke into his residence in Lakatameia, grabbed him and transported him from area to area, beating him and demanding that he give them €5.000.
As the complainant testified to the Police, they put him in the trunk of a car, while in one of the places where he was taken they were filming his beating. The grotesque thing about the case is that before he was released, one of them allegedly returned €20 of the money that had been stolen from him, telling him to take a taxi home.
A suspect originally from Morocco was arrested in connection with the case, whom the complainant said he recognized by his voice and physique, as he said he had known him for years and they had worked together in construction. The suspect was placed yesterday, by court order, under eight-day detention to facilitate investigations.
According to what was said before the court, the complainant went to the Police Station, reporting the incident at 02:50 in the early hours of October 18. The 24-year-old, a Syrian national, reported that at about one in the morning while he was at his home in Lakatamia with his partner, seven hooded men broke through the door and entered inside.
According to the investigator of the case, the hooded men allegedly violated the aluminum door of the main entrance, with iron objects. Subsequently, they demanded €5,000 from the complainant, threatening to kill him and that they would harm him and his family.
The 24-year-old in his complaint stated that, while he was trapped inside his house, he received repeated blows, with the perpetrators demanding again from him to pay them the sum of €5000. Two of them allegedly threatened him with knives while, following instructions from another present, they continued to beat him.
According to the investigator, under the threat of knives, the perpetrators allegedly extorted €200 from the victim that he had in his pants pocket, while, as reported from a room of the house, they also stole his wife's bag, in which there was her mobile phone and a bank card.
The 24-year-old's nightmare, however, did not end there, since the threat and the blows were followed by his abduction. According to his testimony, the perpetrators carried him and, using violence and threats, placed him in the trunk of a black car. For their travels, they also used a second vehicle, rented, which, according to the complainant, was driven by the arrested person.
The first stop of the alleged kidnappers was the parking lot near Lake Magli, in Archangelos. There, according to the complaint, they took him out of the trunk, carried him to an open area and attacked him again. While they beat him, they allegedly filmed him, threatening him again to pay the amount.
They then put him in the back seats of the rental car and initially took him to a specific house opposite the Lakatamia Police Station. This was followed by a transfer to an open area in Deftera, where the 24-year-old complains that he was attacked again and threatened.
The route ended at a parking lot near a tavern in Lakatameia, where he was released. According to the victim, one of the perpetrators allegedly gave him €20 of the money that had been stolen from him, telling him to take a taxi to return home. According to the complainant, the seven persons spoke Arabic.
According to the investigator of the case when filing the complaint, the 24-year-old had a wound to his left eye, which he attributed to the attack.
According to the investigator, the suspect is being investigated for the offenses of conspiracy to commit a felony and misdemeanor, burglary of a residence, theft, malicious damage and entry of an armed man into foreign property for the purpose of theft.
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The 47-year-old prosecution witness and former defendant in the case of the murder of 45-year-old Giannis Argyrou, which was committed in the early hours of May 4, 2025, in the garage of the apartment building where the victim lived, underwent a tough cross-examination today at the Limassol Permanent Criminal Court. The 45-year-old had received a total of 19 stab wounds in various parts of his body. A 52-year-old man is accused of the case, who denies the charge of premeditated murder.
After the completion of the testimony of the last witness, the lawyer of the 52-year-old accused, Elena Frangou, informed the Court that she would not call defense witnesses. The Court held that, on the basis of the testimony presented before it, a prima facie case was established. The lawyer stated that her client will exercise the right to remain silent. Subsequently, the two sides asked for time to prepare the closing speeches. The case was set in mid-December.
Long cross-examination with spikes from the defense
The testimony of the last witness, as well as her cross-examination by the defense, lasted more than five hours. The 47-year-old had given three statements to the Police, while before the Criminal Court she read the second, describing what happened on the night in question.
In her testimony, she referred to the use of cocaine, both in the vehicle in which she, the accused and the victim were riding, and in the 45-year-old's house, where, as she said, they used hard drugs again. At the same time, she described the situation in which the victim was, talking about obscene acts towards her and a proposal to have sexual intercourse with all three, which, as she said, she refused.
During her cross-examination by Ms. Frangou, the witness, when asked about the victim's condition, said that she was under the influence of drugs throughout the night, just like the accused. She replied that she was afraid to ask for help.
"I have no hand in murder"
In a strong tone, the defense attorney submitted to the witness that she committed the murder herself, claiming that she wanted to remove the accused from her life, as, as he indicated to her, he disgusted her. "No, I had nothing to do with the murder. I insist, no, I have no hand in the murder," the 47-year-old replied.
Asked if she could rule out the possibility that the murder was committed after 6 am, she replied that she did not know. The defense insisted, submitting that the witness gave two testimonies and chose to read only the second, in order to attribute the murder to the accused and take him out of her life. "I will repeat and say that I have no hand in the murder. I say it with my hand on my heart," the 47-year-old replied.
At another point, the defense counsel asked her if she could rule out the possibility that the two men came to blows, fought and the victim's blood was transferred to the accused. "I wasn't there to know," she replied. The defense also submitted that it was not the defendant who killed the victim, asking her if she could rule out this possibility. "I say over and over again, I have nothing to do with the murder," the witness replied in a strong tone, stating in one word that she agreed.
When it was submitted to her that she came to the Court without telling the whole truth and that the sole purpose of her testimony was to help the Police, the witness reacted, stating: "No, I don't allow that. I came to tell the whole truth, without fear."
The relationship with the accused and what preceded the murder
During her testimony, the 47-year-old referred to the relationship she maintained with the accused until Christmas 2024. As she claimed, he constantly threatened her, telling her, among other things, that he would hurt her siblings. She also spoke about the defendant's attitude towards the victim, stating that he was annoyed and dissatisfied with his behavior. She added that the accused was very jealous of her and did not want her to talk to other men.
According to what she said, after staying at the victim's house, the three of them went down to the garage. There, as she said, the two men used cocaine, while she did cocaine with a bottle. She also claimed that the victim continued to perform obscene acts towards her, trying to convince her to accept his proposal.
At some point, according to her testimony, the accused asked her to take his vehicle and go for a walk. She asked him why all three of them wouldn't go together, however, he insisted that she leave alone. As she testified, he then gave her €40 and asked her to buy cocaine. She claimed that the victim, due to his condition, did not realize that the accused wanted to remove her from the garage.
The witness also stated that she had suspected that the accused wanted to harm the victim, since, as she said, he had expressed such an intention to her in the past, because he was jealous that she had an affair with him in the past.
She returned to the garage and saw blood on his hand
Describing what followed, the 47-year-old said that, at the insistence of the accused, she left in his vehicle. As she said, she opened the garage shutter a little with the remote control and she came out from below, after crawling on the ground.
She then went to an area of Limassol, where, according to her testimony, she bought cocaine. When she returned and tried to go down the ramp to the garage, she saw the accused coming from her side. As she described, when he approached her, she noticed that he had splashes on his hand that looked like blood, while he was particularly upset.
According to her testimony, the accused asked her to leave immediately and go buy cocaine. "I started asking him where Giannos was and he didn't answer me. He was telling me to leave. I realized that something was done to him. I wanted to go downstairs, to the garage, but he wouldn't let me and insisted that we leave."
"I made him happy, I made him happy"
The witness also described what happened after they left the scene of the murder. As she testified, the accused led her to an area where he bought cocaine for his own use and then took her home. According to her, he had his purse on him all the time and was particularly upset.
She also described that the accused went off the highway, was driving zigzag and made various phone calls. At some point, as the witness said, he took a black tsiakoui out of his purse, placed it on the dashboard of the car and told her: "Let me tell you something. I made him happy, I made him happy."
When she asked him who he meant, he replied that "they smeared the postman". The witness also referred to the first statement she gave to the Police, explaining that she was in a state of panic at the time, she was particularly shocked. She also said that the accused was pathologically jealous of her, spoke badly to her and insulted her, while he did not want her to communicate with other men. As she testified, she was afraid of him because of the threats that, according to her, she received from him.
The offenses of abduction or kidnapping are also being investigated. The Police, according to information, have secured a court arrest warrant against another person, while five other persons are being sought in the case.
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The Cyprus Police are examining ex officio the case brought to light by the BBC, which raised the issue of hiding and transferring billions of Roman Abramovich's assets through Cypriot companies and professional consultants.
The officer of the Police Headquarters, Andreas Anastasiadis, during the discussion of the issue in the parliamentary committee on Institutions, stated that when the BBC report saw the light of day (12/10/26), the Police "began to collect data ex officio, in order to evaluate it".
Based on what he said, it has not been decided whether an investigation file will be opened, with the collection of investigative material
Mr. Anastasiades, in response to a question by MP Christos Christofides whether the Legal Service had asked the Police to investigate the matter, clarified that the Police moved without the intervention of another institution.
It should be noted that the Legal Service was not represented at the meeting, although it had received an invitation from the parliamentary body in order to participate in the discussion.
Andreas Zachariadis also participated in the meeting, who took a position in both capacities. That of the general director of the Ministry of Finance and that of the president of the Authority for the Public Supervision of the Auditing Profession (ADELEEP).
He explained that the Ministry of Finance, with the publication of the issue, contacted "the company involved". He added that the positions of the latter were given. However, he pointed out difficulties in any investigation as the disputed events dealt with in the article concern the period 2003-2006.
Mr. Zachariadis, speaking in his capacity as head of ADEELEP, said that the Authority he heads was established in 2017 and according to a legal opinion it cannot examine cases that preceded the year of its establishment.
In general, no other competent supervisory authority or competent institution has dealt with the case, as it emerged through the discussion. On several occasions during the meeting, it was mentioned by guests that the controversial events presented in the article allegedly took place during a period in which very different practices were followed, which are now a thing of the past.
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The immediate release of an Iranian citizen, who was detained in Cyprus for about 12 months for the purpose of his deportation, was ordered by the Supreme Court, ruling that his detention was illegal due to the inability of the competent authorities to document their actions for his return to his country of origin.
In his decision, Judge E. Ephraim approved the Iranian's application for a privileged Habeas Corpus order, pointing out that the references of the authorities to the efforts to issue travel documents and arrange his return were general and vague, without demonstrating either the nature of the actions carried out or the real prospects of his deportation.
The applicant, an Iranian national, arrived in Cyprus for the first time in 2000 and in the following years submitted various applications, while he was granted a residence and work permit for some time. Subsequently, the competent authorities issued rejection decisions and orders for his deportation and detention.
On 4 September 2025, detention and deportation orders were issued. On 18 February 2026, he applied for international protection and a new detention order was issued the following day. His asylum application was rejected on 29 May 2026, while his appeal against a previous court decision concerning detention and deportation orders was also rejected on 14 June.
The State argued before the Court that the request was abusive and that the detention remained lawful, reasonable and necessary, as it was reviewed at regular intervals. The authorities cited, among other things, a risk of absconding, as well as reasons related to the process of his return.
As mentioned, the applicant does not have a valid travel document, as their passport expired on July 20, 2025. According to the authorities, he was not cooperating in his repatriation and efforts were being made through the embassy to issue a new travel document. At the same time, previous court proceedings and the examination of the application for international protection had a suspensive effect on the execution of the deportation.
The Supreme Court acknowledged that these procedures prevented deportation until they were completed and that they were carried out in a relatively short period of time. However, he noted that after June 2026 the reports of the Authorities were limited to reiterating the position that efforts were ongoing to issue travel documents and return the applicant, without specific data on the progress of the actions or the likelihood of their completion.
In his decision, the judge underlined that the detention of an applicant for international protection must have the shortest possible duration and continue only for as long as the legitimate reasons for it continue to exist. The competent authorities must act with due diligence and without unnecessary delays, while delays not attributed to the applicant do not justify the continuation of detention.
The Court held that, in the specific circumstances and given the absence of sufficient testimony about the actions of the authorities and the prospects of deportation, the total duration of the detention had rendered it illegal.
Therefore, he issued the requested Habeas Corpus order and ordered the competent authorities of the Republic to release the applicant immediately. At the same time, it ordered the costs of the application in favour of the applicant and against the respondents.
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A disturbance was caused in the Limassol District Court, when a woman entered the area in possession of a large knife, as well as other objects.
According to the information of philenews, during the check carried out with an X-ray machine by a security officer, a large knife, pliers and a kitchen knife were found in the woman's bag.
Police were called to the place and the woman was arrested, however she seems to have reacted during the handcuffing process. He was then taken to the Limassol Police Department for further handling of the case.
According to her claim, she had the knife for her personal safety.
The woman will be charged and summoned before the Court at a later date.
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A retired lieutenant general, "commander" of the "Turkish peacekeeping forces of Cyprus" with the initials B.M., was arrested at the roadblock of Agios Dometios during the control of his vehicle at the Turkish Cypriot checkpoint when 305 kilograms of smuggled meat were found in the trunk.
According to Yeni Bakis, he had been arrested before when he tried to pass 3 suitcases of cigarette smoke through the VIP passage of the illegal Tympos airport.
He returned to the occupied territories where he lives in Kyrenia from the free areas. A total of 305.40 kilograms of boneless beef and 41 kilograms of lamb tail fat were found in his possession, with a total value of 411,370 TL (approximately €7,472).
The products were confiscated as evidence and the suspect was arrested in the act. He was taken to the "court" which released him with a ban on leaving the pseudo-state, a bail of 80,000 TL (about €1255) in cash, the signing of a bail of 600,000 TL (€10,909) by two guarantors and his appearance at the station once a week.
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Cy Mail
Cyprus’ audit oversight authority has no power to investigate events that predate its creation in 2017, but it is still collecting evidence on Deloitte Cyprus as it expects to answer to European bodies, its director general said on Thursday.The Public Auditing Oversight Authority for the Auditing Profession (Adeelep) Panos Prodromitis informed that the body was gathering and assessing information on the firm’s role in the Roman Abramovich affair.
The matter came to light after a BBC Panorama and Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) investigation published on October 12.
The report alleged that Deloitte Cyprus signed off backdated paperwork for Abramovich companies.
Deloitte Cyprus has said it “acts in compliance with applicable laws”.
Abramovich has insisted he took independent professional tax and legal advice and acted on it, and his lawyers have denied any role in alleged tax evasion.
Andreas Zachariadis, who chairs the authority and is the finance ministry’s permanent secretary, told the House institutions committee on Wednesday that the authority had contacted the firm and received “its own interpretation”.
The case dates from 2003 to 2006, and obtaining information on it “is not easy”, he said; Deloitte has committed to passing on any new information.
Zachariadis said the authority had “no jurisdiction over events before it was established” and held disciplinary rather than criminal powers.
Prodromitis said that for conduct after 2017, the authority’s board would assess the matter and appoint an independent investigating officer if a breach appeared likely.
The officer’s findings go to a disciplinary committee, which can impose penalties ranging from a fine or reprimand to removal of the audit firm.
Any suspected criminal offence can be reported to the attorney-general, who decides whether to prosecute.
Police told the committee they had opened an investigation into the management of Abramovich’s assets through Cypriot companies.
Spokesman Andreas Anastasiades said it would be carried out with other competent bodies and was expected to take about six months.
Police said the passage of time did not remove the legal basis for investigating.
Committee chairman and Disy MP Demetris Demetriou said the session was a supervisory review.
“We are not here merely to endlessly discuss that these things happened years ago,” he said.
The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus said it could not give absolute assurance that similar cases would not recur.
Its representative said the licence of the person named in the BBC report was revoked in 2023.
The anti-money laundering unit (Mokas) said it had received no report on the case.
Tax Commissioner Soteris Markides said there were time limits on the tax years that could be examined.
Akel MP Christos Christofides, who appeared in the documentary, said tax cases completed in 2016 remained within that period.
The Central Bank said it was examining whether any Cypriot bank was involved, though none had yet been identified.
Former independent MP Alexandra Attalides, who had originally pressed the tax department to act, said it was “unbelievable that the supervisory bodies were so incompetent”.
