court Archives - Page 64 of 71

Turgay Avci resigns as Yodak chairman

15 March 2024 by Cyprus Mail

– Turgay Avci resigned as chairman of the north’s higher education accreditation authority (Yodak) on Friday.
– Avci resigned after a scandal involving alleged forgery of diplomas and bribes in the north’s higher education sector.
– Avci and former Yodak board member Mehmet Hasguler are accused of taking under-the-table payments during the Cyprus Health and Social Sciences University (KSTU)’s medicine school’s application for Yodak accreditation.
– Both Avci and Hasguler were released on bail.
– Turkish Cypriot Leader Ersin Tatar had called for Avci’s resignation and instructed the north’s supreme court to fire him.
– Yodak’s deputy chairman, Hasan Amca, took temporary charge of the authority amid the criminal proceedings against Avci.

Three arrested with fake passports at Paphos airport

15 March 2024 by Cyprus Mail

Three people were arrested at Paphos airport for possession of forged passports. A 27-year-old man and his 25-year-old wife, both holding Syrian passports and tickets to Sofia, were found with forged British passports and tickets to Dublin. Similarly, a 25-year-old man with a Syrian passport and a ticket to Sofia was discovered to have a fake Dutch passport and a ticket to Dublin. The two men are in custody, while the woman was charged in writing due to having a child. They are expected to appear in court on Friday.

Our View: Political will to protect environment is nonexistant

15 March 2024 by Cyprus Mail

Cyprus governments have historically not prioritized environmental protection, often disregarding their own regulations and laws to favor local communities, developers, and interest groups, despite pressure from the European Union. This has led to Cyprus being referred to the European Court for not adequately protecting Natura 2000 sites. All governments have failed to protect the environment, with a notable example being unauthorized road works in the Akamas area. Despite two investigations into these road works, the reasons behind the deviation from agreed specifications remain undisclosed, prompting a third investigation. The European Commission has criticized Cyprus for approving projects that could harm Natura 2000 areas without proper impact studies, despite a warning letter sent in 2019. Cyprus has designated 37 sites as Special Areas of Conservation, yet no conservation measures have been established for 28 of these. In response to the Commission’s report, the agriculture ministry claimed to have initiated inter-departmental working groups to complete the legal framework for managing Natura 2000 areas, aiming for full compliance with EU directives. However, the lack of political will is seen as a significant barrier to genuine environmental protection.

Monastery implicated in environmental scandal

14 March 2024 by Cyprus Mail

The Osiou Avakoum monastery was implicated in an environmental scandal for being built on land protected under the Natura 2000 environmental policy. Legal action has been taken against the monastery, the church committee, and Archimandrite Nektarios Georgiou for unauthorized constructions on the site. Investigations revealed illegal constructions and a lack of final approvals for various buildings. The monastery, constructed in 2020, is also under police investigation for claims of financial extortion.

All four Kalogeropoulos murder suspects plead not guilty

14 March 2024 by Cyprus Mail

All four men suspected of killing Thanasis Kalogeropoulos pleaded not guilty to charges including premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit murder, possession and transportation of a firearm and ammunition, and vehicle theft and arson. The 22-year-old suspect is also charged with aiding and abetting a murder. An appeal has been lodged at the Supreme Court to annul the order allowing investigators to access telecommunications data from the suspects’ phones. The trial’s next hearing is set for June 11, and the defendants will remain under remand until then. Kalogeropoulos was shot 10 times at close range from a vehicle by two people with a pistol and a Kalashnikov. The 22-year-old is believed to be the mastermind, the 41-year-old is suspected of firing the shots, the 44-year-old owns the house where the murder was planned, and the 21-year-old was allegedly riding the motorcycle used in the getaway.

Turkish Cypriot conscientious objector trial postponed

14 March 2024 by Cyprus Mail

The trial of Turkish Cypriot conscientious objector Halil Karapasaoglu, originally scheduled for Thursday, has been postponed to April 18. This decision came after the European Court of Human Rights fined the Republic of Turkey €9,000 for violating the freedom of thought and conscience of another Cypriot conscientious objector, Murat Kanatli. In the north, where conscription is mandatory, the concept of conscientious objection to military service is not recognized by law, making any refusal to serve a criminal act. A bill to legalize conscientious objection was rejected by the northern ‘parliament’ in January.

Six men now arrested for mass smuggling of migrants

14 March 2024 by Cyprus Mail

Famagusta District Court remanded two Syrian men, aged 29 and 27, as suspects in people smuggling, following the arrival of six boats with almost 500 migrants. This brings the total arrests to six men. The two recently arrested were on the first boat found off Cape Greco. Other individuals previously remanded were from the fourth, fifth, and sixth boats. The group of boats carried 458 migrants in total, who were escorted to Ayia Napa marina for registration. The migrants, comprising 258 men, 44 women, 123 children, and 33 unaccompanied minors, reportedly set off from Lebanon, each paying ,000 for the journey.

Man found with valuable items arrested

14 March 2024 by Cyprus Mail

Police arrested a 40-year-old man in Limassol for possession of stolen jewelry. During a raid on his house, officers found ten wristwatches, four rings, an engagement ring with an engraving, a gold coin, three collector’s coins, a bike, an electric bike, and other items. The man could not explain how he acquired these items, leading to his arrest and the seizure of the items as evidence. Police are continuing their investigations.

Bank accounts under scrutiny in Saint Habakkuk scandal

14 March 2024 by PhileNews (Cyprus)

Financial crime prosecutors are investigating Saint Habakkuk, examining documents and reports from the bishop’s deposition and summoning individuals for testimony. They are investigating property acquisitions by monks in Cyprus and Greece, bank account disclosures, and the origin of €807,000 in cash found at the monastery. The Tax Department is investigating the monastery’s financial obligations to the state. The Economic Crime Unit has received 15 testimonies and continues to evaluate evidence. Police Internal Affairs is investigating complaints against bishop Isaiah and others for alleged abduction and assault. Two policemen admitted to transporting valuable items from the monastery at bishop Tamasou’s request. Lawyers for two archimandrites claimed a videotape concerning myrrh found in the monastery was forged and illegally processed.

Defendants plea not guilty in Kalogeropoulos murder case

14 March 2024 by PhileNews (Cyprus)

None of the four defendants, aged 41, 44, 22, and 21, admit to the charges they face in connection with the murder of Thanasis Kalogeropoulos, which occurred on October 30, 2023, in a beach restaurant parking lot in Limassol. They pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy to commit murder, premeditated murder, possession, transportation, and use of firearms and explosives, vehicle arson, and theft. The 22-year-old faces an additional charge of complicity after the fact. The Court scheduled a new trial for June 11, 2024, and ordered the defendants to remain in custody. Security measures were enforced during the court proceedings.