By Martin Hellicar
THE TWIN brother of Disy chief Nicos Anastassiades, Pambos Anastassiades, is to go on trial before the Limassol Criminal court accused of selling forged pink slips.
The Limassol District court yesterday set the trial date for November 22 and ordered that Pambos Anastassiades remain in custody until that day.
Anastassiades is suspected of providing fake residence and work permits for cabaret artistes for £170 a shot. He is expected to face a total of 31 charges, including forgery of official documents and illegal employment of foreigners.
The offences were committed between January and September 1999, police say.
His suspected accomplice, labour agent Marios Yiallouris, is to appear before the District court on November 10, when the court is expected to decide whether he will stand trial alongside Anastassiades. Yiallouris, who is currently recovering from a heart attack in a private clinic, was unable to appear before the court yesterday. His lawyer appeared in his place, but then informed the court that he had to leave because his client had not authorised him to appear in his place.
The court released Yiallouris on bail to reappear on the 10th.
The two suspects were arrested last month following the launch of a police probe into allegedly corrupt pink slip practices. Three senior officers were tasked to look into information that police officers and others in positions of power were abating underworld prostitution rackets by providing pink slips for foreign cabaret artistes, some of them forged.
Police were yesterday expected to charge another man arrested in connection with the same probe.
Nicosia cabaret owner Andreas Pirillos is suspected of bribing suspended Immigration Chief Christodoulos Nicolaides to secure permits for dancing girls for his clubs.
Nicolaides has himself been charged with accepting bribes to “fix” pink slips for foreign workers.
Also in the dock in connection with the police probe are senior immigration officer Nicos Vakanas, former Disy organisational secretary Andreas Tsangarides and Limassol police officers Efstathios Theodorou, Dimitris Himonas and Pelopidas Evgeniades.
The clampdown on suspect immigration practices has put corruption at the top of the local political agenda. House Watchdog Committee chairman Christos Pourgourides yesterday presented President Glafcos Clerides with his list of suggestions aimed at preventing corruption in official circles.
He said afterwards that he had had a useful exchange of ideas with the President and that Clerides would be seeking to achieve consensus with all parties on action to tackle corruption.
Pourgourides said his suggestions, which he did not disclose, would require legal amendments if they were to be put into effect.
Government Spokesman Michalis Papapetrou yesterday repeated that the state was determined to root out corrupt individuals from positions of authority.
Akel deputy Kikis Yiangou meanwhile called for a specific senior policeman to be barred from having any involvement in the pink slips probe. Yiangou claimed this officer, whom he did not name, was guilty of involvement in the illegal employment of foreigners.
