New remand for brothel couple

THE COUPLE being held for running a brothel and filming their clients in X-rated positions were remanded in custody for a further eight days yesterday by the Nicosia District Court.

A 40-year-old Cypriot is being held on suspicion of prostituting his 30-year-old Russian wife and her Moldavian friend. The couple were caught running a bordello in Strovolos under the façade of a massage parlour. Cameras were also set up in the brothel which secretly filmed clients “in the act”.

Nicosia CID confiscated a hard disk containing explicit footage. If the case goes to court, there is a chance the X-rated contents of the hard disk on will be made public.

Police also have a diary of secrets, containing the names and numbers of 160 clients. A CID investigator said police had contacted 50 names on the list, from which 20 were interviewed. From the 20, only two people gave statements to the police. The remaining 18 said they preferred not to since they had families and did not wish to go public with their indiscretions.

The couple, who face charges of prostitution, profiting from prostitution and maintaining a brothel, now also face new charges regarding violations of personal data law.

A police source told the Cyprus Mail that the video footage also contains one instance of a female client using the services of the brothel. The same source rejected reports that prominent figures and state officials were on the list of 160.

The number of investigators working on the case is being limited to a small group to ensure discretion during investigations. The police do not wish to be responsible for breaking up marriages, said the source.

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.