Murder suspect had borrowed cash from victim

POLICE believe a financial dispute may have been the reason behind the cold-blooded slaying of 41-year-old Roulla Panteli, a divorced mother of two.

Last Sunday, Panteli was found dead at a remote location in the Limassol countryside, after having gone missing for two weeks. She had been shot twice in the back of the head.

The prime suspect, 44-year-old Christakis Gavriel, was yesterday remanded in custody for eight days on suspicion of premeditated murder, which he denies. He was also charged with illegal possession of a firearm and explosives.

So far, detectives have amassed a host of circumstantial evidence linking Gavriel. The suspect has told police his relationship with the victim was strictly professional, although police have testimony that the two had at one time been lovers.

Gavriel, an employee at the Limassol municipality, is known to have been in dire financial straits.

A police prosecutor told the court yesterday that Gavriel had borrowed substantial amounts of money from the victim. On one occasion, Panteli had given him some £10,000 so he could pay off a fine for illegally importing vehicles.

More recently, the woman had loaned Gavriel £27,000 to help him open a bakery. In return, the suspect promised her a share in the investment.

However, at some point the woman felt she was being conned and wanted her money back. The two had a falling out over the issue, and police believe this was the motive for the murder.

Although Gavriel admits to this business arrangement, his story does not check out. He was the last person to see Panteli before she went missing. They had met at a parking lot outside a supermarket, purportedly to discuss the interior design plans for the bakery. The plans have not been recovered.

Moreover, Gavriel told investigators that his meeting with Panteli lasted a very short time, after which the woman left. But her sister says she spoke to Panteli on the mobile at an hour when the woman was still outside the supermarket when – according to the suspect – Panteli had already departed.

On searching the suspect’s house, detectives found a gun and a revolver shell casing, which Gavriel claims he picked up during a visit to the Limassol zoo.

But acting on another tip-off, police are looking for a firearm they believe the suspect stashed underground in a plot of land he owns.

Limassol police superintendent Andreas Iatropoulos yesterday said he was “optimistic” that authorities would crack the case.

He said they would ask the Attorney-general permission to lift the suspect’s bank account confidentiality.

However, police are not allowed access to either the suspect’s or the victim’s phone conversations, as this is prohibited by the Constitution.

“We shall try to find a legal way of getting around this… but it’s a tough issue,” the superintendent told state radio.

Article 17 of the Constitution prohibits access to communications, except in the event of bankruptcy or imprisonment. Thus, even if the concerned persons in a murder case were to consent to it, authorities cannot make use of this data.

Data Protection Commissioner Goula Frangou explained to the Mail:

“Monitoring emails, text messages or phone calls is not allowed, because this is considered correspondence or communication. However, tracking a person’s internet activity – such as in child pornography – is allowed, as this is not interpreted as communication.”

She said this was a longstanding deficiency in Cyprus law.

An amendment to the Article was submitted a few years ago, but came to nothing. A two-thirds majority in Parliament is needed to amend the Constitution.