POLICE yesterday cast light on what they believe had happened in the last few hours before the mysterious disappearance of a Limassol doctor not seen for over two months.
Seeking the remand of a suspect arrested in connection with the case on Wednesday, they also revealed they were keen to question another man thought to have vital information about the disappearance of 45-year-old father of two George Kinnis.
The Limassol court yesterday agreed to remand 53-year-old building contractor Andreas Sophocleous in custody for eight days in connection with the case.
Police told the court they suspected Sophocleous, from Paramitha village, was involved in the doctor’s abduction, as well as offences concerning circulation of forged documents and obtaining cash using false pretences. Investigators say over half a million pounds are missing from the doctor’s accounts.
Kinnis, the Director of Limassol Hospital’s X-ray Department, has been missing since May 8.
Police have been unable to trace him and fears for his safety have increased amid mounting suspicions of foul play.
The case investigator said that on the day he had disappeared, Kinnis and the suspect had gone in Sophocleous’ car to his village of Paramitha, north of Limassol, where they had coffee.
Police cited testimony that when they returned to Limassol, Kinnis did not get into his own car he had left on Kolonaki Street, but instead boarded a second car, which was in the area.
Both cars then drove off in an unknown direction, the court heard.
Police said Kinnis had taken leave of absence from the hospital a few days before he disappeared, saying he needed some time to sort out outstanding work at a construction site he owned and where the suspect was the contractor.
Investigation of the missing doctor’s accounts showed that over half a million pounds were missing.
Police said £400,000, the proceeds from of the sale of a plot of land, was missing, as well as £270,000 paid to the suspect for work on the construction site.
That amount was used by the suspect for personal expenses, police claimed.
The investigator said that a few days before his disappearance, Kinnis told a friend that he had given a large amount of money to the suspect for the purchase of some land.
The contractor, however, had not purchased the land and Kinnis was afraid that the suspect would not return his money.
During the same time, three boxes containing lift equipment had been delivered to the doctor’s construction site, but after his disappearance the boxes were found empty.
The suspect insists that after having coffee with Kinnis, the two simply went their own ways, refusing to explain witness testimony that apparently refutes his claims. He denies any connection to the doctor’s disappearance.
Police added they were keen to question an unnamed person who could prove to be the key to the mysterious case.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
