President and AG clash over pardoning grandfather
The attorney-general’s office is blocking President Nikos Christodoulides from pardoning an 82-year-old man who was sentenced to 2.5 years in jail for shooting an attempted cable thief. The incident occurred in the Limassol village of Alassa last June when the man, seeking to protect his property during a power outage, fired a shot that hit the thief in the back. The man had previously reported thefts to the police and lived in fear of thieves. His lawyer stated that he did not intend to kill the thief, who suffered no lasting health problems from the incident. The president’s desire to pardon the man is based on humanitarian reasons, but so far, the attorney-general’s agreement has not been secured.