Simellides sends mother and wife to appeal for pardon

By Martin Hellicar

CONVICT Tassos Simellides, jailed for nine years last year for his part in the attempted murder of gambling club owner Antonis Fanieros, yesterday sent his mother and wife to plead with Justice Minister Nicos Koshis for his early release.

The minister’s office confirmed that Koshis had met with the two women, but said the minister was not commenting on the matter.

Father-of-three Simellides is reportedly claiming he was promised a prompt release in return for testifying against three Aeroporos brothers charged with involvement in the machine-gun attack in Larnaca on May 29 last year.

Simellides’s testimony before the Assizes court failed to secure the conviction of Aeroporos brothers Hambis, 35, Andros, 30, and Panicos, 25. During a year-long trial, Simellides, who admitted to acting as get-away driver for the attack, named Hambis as instigator, Andros as architect and Panicos as hit-man for the attack.

But the court dismissed his testimony, saying police and the Justice Ministry had made promises to the convict to get him to testify against the suspects. The court decision also noted the absence of concrete evidence to link the Aeroporos brothers to the crime.

Simellides, from Limassol, is serving his sentence in a safe house with round-the-clock police guard, for fear the Aeroporos clan might try to kill him. Protecting the 28-year-old convict costs the state an estimated £15, 000 a day.

The convict is now seeking a Presidential pardon. Koshis paid President Clerides a visit later yesterday.

The minister declined to comment on what he had discussed with the President. He said pardon pleas were a matter for the President and Attorney-general Alecos Markides to decide.

Markides saw the President at the same time as Koshis, but he too declined to comment on what had been discussed.

Markides said he had received no official pardon plea from Simellides.

The Attorney-general is challenging the Assizes decision to acquit the three Aeroporos brothers before the Supreme Court.

Last year’s attack was described as a gangland hit, part of an ongoing feud between Limassol and Larnaca gangs vying for control of lucrative gambling, prostitution and drugs rings.

Fanieros, 57, survived despite being hit in the neck as he came under a hail of machine-gun fire.

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