Christofias: body theft proving difficult to solve

POLICE yesterday continued their investigation into the theft of the remains of former president Tassos Papadopoulos while President Demetris Christofias was saddened over the increasing speculation concerning the case.

“I am thinking that time is passing and the case has not been resolved and this saddens me because there is more and more speculation, which is not pleasant for the family or the Republic,” Christofias told reporters.

Between Thursday night and Friday morning, unknown individuals dug up the grave of Papadopoulos, stealing his remains in an act of desecration that has left authorities baffled as to their motive.

Speculation has been rife since then, ranging from holding the body to ransom to attempts to garner resistance to a potential federal solution to the Cyprus problem.

“These events do not honour us, without this meaning that the Republic of Cyprus is to blame,” the president said. “It is a sacrilegious act which was unexpected … and unfortunately the criminals who committed this crime seem to have taken enough measures to make solving this crime difficult.”

The president was yesterday briefed about the investigation from Justice Minister Loucas Louca.

“I hope, despite it being a very difficult case, the police will be able to resolve it,” Louca said afterwards.

Authorities believe the act was the work of a group of people who carried it out in a highly organised manner.

No mechanical equipment was used to lift the 250kg granite slab lying over the tomb, or to dig deep into the muddy grave.

Christofias refused to speculate as to who could be behind the act.

“Speculating is someone else’s job. I can only speak with facts. And this is exactly why we want the case resolved to have facts to talk about,” the president said.

Police have questioned numerous individuals but without any solid leads so far.

They are also checking phone records to determine whether any calls were made from the area in the early hours of Friday.

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.