Nicosia cop arrested on racketeering charges

Three men, including a police officer, have been arrested on racketeering charges following allegations by a Limassol man who says the suspects threatened him.

A 67-year-old Limassol man has pointed the finger at a Nicosia cop and two others, saying the three men used threats against him in order to get money that was part of a financial dispute between one of the suspects and a developer. 

Police say that a 50-year-old suspect appeared to have a financial dispute with a private construction company owner, aged 52, with the suspect telling cops that the two men had entered a property sale agreement which he later cancelled. The suspect, who started putting pressure on the contractor to get his money back, was said to have issued a threat over the phone back in March 2018 according to the complaint.

"I know everybody in the Nicosia mob and I’ll place a bomb to have you killed," the suspect said according to the complaint.

Then in January 2019, two men paid a visit to the man in Limassol and demanded over €100,000 to clear what they described as the contractor’s debt.

The two men, a 43-year-old Nicosia police officer another man aged 30, reportedly showed a written contract between the 50-year-old suspect and the contractor, while it was not clear whether the 67-year-old was also financially liable.

Police said the complainant feared for his life and wrote two cheques for €75,600 and €32,640 respectively, while the cheques had not been cashed according to sources.

Police found security camera footage showing their colleague, who has been suspended, and the other suspect visiting the complainant, while a house search in the cops’ residence yielded a hotel receipt in Limassol on the date of the visit.

The three suspects appeared before a Nicosia District Court judge on Friday. They are facing multiple charges including conspiracy to commit felony, money extortion, misappropriation of funds, fraud, and corruption.

The 30-year-old suspect denies involvement while the two other suspects exercised their right to silence.