FIVE PEOPLE were remanded in custody for seven days by the Larnaca District Court yesterday in connection with charges of intellectual property theft using electronic devices.

Armed with a search warrant, police raided a home in Oroklini on Thursday at around 11am, where they found eight satellites positioned outside the building and five Israelis inside allegedly working on computers.

Police believe the five are involved in the illegal streaming and transmission of various subscription satellite channels to other people who own a Dreambox, as well as providing electronic gambling services.

THE PUBLIC sector is staffed by people who are “able, suitably-educated both academically and otherwise”, but are not given the necessary motivation to “do their best and have their professionalism and expertise used to the fullest advantage”, Auditor-general Chrystalla Yiorkadji said yesterday.

Speaking to the press after presenting her 922-page report for 2008 to President Demetris Christofias, Yiorkadji said that the moment someone is employed by the public sector, they regard their salary, job-security and pension as being guaranteed.

“What I am calling for by way of motivation is for the exceptional performers to be recognised and to have benefits beyond those normally given to colleagues on the same grade”, she said.

THIRTY ROMANIAN workers believed to be victims of trafficking and exploitation yesterday staged a protest at Eleftheria Square in the capital, where they accused the government of abandoning them. The 30 belong to a group of 103 Romanians found living in appalling conditions last month, allegedly under the “control” of a 39-year-old Cypriot man who was accused of selling their services to other employers for pittance. At the time, the authorities pledged to ensure that the alleged victims of exploitation were given all the help available, providing food, accommodation and assistance in finding more work. The 30 protestors yesterday claimed that the state had stopped giving assistance after the Welfare Services gave them each €117.

A MAN was arrested yesterday at the roundabout on the Dhekelia-Ayia Napa highway after being caught by police driving at 167km per hour, well over the 100km per hour speed limit.

The 23-year-old from Larnaca did not stop when police flagged him down. However, during his attempt to avoid arrest he crashed into roadside railings, suffering minor injuries.

After being arrested, the man was taken to Ayia Napa police station.

On Thursday two people were arrested for driving with excessive speed.

A 57-year-old was caught driving at 175km per hour on the Limassol-Nicosia highway. Another driver, 50, was caught doing 171km per hour on the Larnaca-Kofinou highway in the afternoon near Anglisides. The speed-limit in both cases was 100km per hour.

POLICE yesterday seized some 2,650 cartons of contraband cigarettes believed to contain extra harmful substances than normal cigarettes. In cooperation with customs authorities, officers searched the house and car of a 57-year-old resident of a village in the Limassol region where the cartons were discovered. According to customs authorities the cigarettes appear to be imitations of authentic cigarettes and to contain an mixture of tobacco with other ingredients deemed to be particularly dangerous. After the suspect made a statement police then arrested a woman who appears to have been working in collaboration with him. The cigarettes if imported legally would have been liable to €85,000 in tax.

POLICE arrested a 30-year-old Syrian man just hours after he robbed a Paphos betting shop employee at knifepoint.

The shop is close to the technical school in Paphos. The man, whose wife is Cypriot, forced the 23-year-old employee to hand over €870 after punching her and dragging her to the cash till. The Syrian man was not wearing a mask, and was wearing an easily identifiable coat. He snatched the money and ran. The betting shop employee was able to identify the robber and to give further details to police, as he had previously been a regular customer. Police found the stolen cash, the knife and the coat worn in the burglary at the Syrians’ home.

MOST complaints made to the Authority against Racism and Discrimination (ARD) in 2008 related to the unequal treatment of EU citizens, age discrimination and gender inequality, Ombudswoman Iliana Nicoloau said yesterday, in her capacity as head of the authority.

Speaking after presenting the 2008 reports by the ARD and the Ombudsman’s Office to President Demetris Christofias, Nicolaou said that most complaints were received from EU citizens alleging discriminatory treatment in relation to Cypriots, in contravention of rights enshrined in EU law.

Regarding the principle of gender equality, she added: “We have not been able to apply it in practice”.

A FIFTH man was arrested yesterday in connection with the savage beating of a 20-year-old APOEL fan at a futsal pitch near the GSP stadium in Nicosia on 15.

According to police reports, the 22-year-old resident of Nicosia was arrested on a court order to help with police enquiries into a case concerning conspiracy to commit a crime, conspiracy to commit a misdemeanour, attempted murder, grievous bodily harm and contravention of the law against violence at football stadiums.