Men sentenced for assaulting billionaire investor

The Famagusta District Court handed down sentences to four men in connection with the beating of Egyptian investor Naguib Sawiris, hours before the stone laying ceremony for the Ayia Napa marina back in 2016.

The four men, one nightclub owner and three bouncers were found guilty on Monday in the beating of Sawiris, an investor in the Ayia Napa marina project, in an incident that took place in the early hours on 30 September 2016.

They were all found guilty on aggravated assault charges and causing grievous bodily harm.

On Thursday, the court sentenced one man to four months with three year suspension, while three others were fined €2000 each.

The court took into account a number of mitigating factors, including the men's young age and clean criminal record. One of them was also recently hired as a police officer while another was a witness in the trial of the June 2016 Ayia Napa mob killings. 

Two years ago, Sawiris and his entourage were celebrating just hours before the foundation stone-laying ceremony, when they were kicked out by bouncers following a brief incident.

Local reports said some of the guests stood up on the couch to dance and a waiter told them -in what Sawiris described as an aggressive tone- to get down. When the investor asked for an explanation, the waiter struck him and then bouncers got into the action as well.

At one point, the Egyptian billionaire was on the floor, being dragged by both feet out of the club, while another bouncer was kicking and beating him, according to local reports.

A business associate of Sawiris’ was also physically assaulted during the incident.

In an interview with CyprusProfile in February 2017, Sawiris said their “experience as investors in Cyprus had been very positive.”

The Egyptian billionaire praised both government authorities and incentives given to foreign investors, such as the Citizenship and Permanent Residency by Investment Programme, saying the Ayia Napa Marina ultimately is a great opportunity for the developers but also Cyprus.

“We envisage to change the face of the Cypriot coastline and become the latest luxury destination in the Mediterranean basin," Sawiris told the CyprusProfile.

Officials say the construction of the Ayia Napa marina is moving along swiftly and it will be fully functional by July 2019.