‘Police officer knew of plot to kill Hadjicostis’

THE TRIAL for the murder of media owner Andis Hadjicostis turned more intricate yesterday after a shocking revelation in court that at least one member of the police force knew of a plot to slay the Sigma boss and had even warned the victim prior to the hit.

Police constable Neofytos Shailos, a witness for the state prosecution and part of the team assigned to investigate the 11 January 2010 murder, said he arrived at the scene of the crime at 9.30pm, shortly after Hadjicostis was gunned down just outside his Nicosia home.

There, Shailos said, he met up with Christos Ioannou, a colleague of his, who told him he had known of the plans to kill Hadjicostis. Ioannou knew the Hadjicostis family, as the victim’s wife had stood as bridesmaid at his own wedding.

According to the witness, Ioannou even mentioned names at the time, saying he ‘knew’ that Andreas Gregoriou and Fanos Hadjigeorgiou were allegedly out to kill Hadjicostis.

Hadjigeorgiou was initially arrested as a suspect but subsequently received immunity from prosecution in return for testifying against the other defendants.

Four people are facing charges of premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit murder: Andreas Gregoriou, Gregoris Xenofontos, Elena Skordelli and her brother Tasos Krasopoulis.

Later that same night, Shailos went on, when he asked Ioannou to testify in writing about this, the latter declined. To date, Ioannou has not furnished a written testimony because he fears for his safety, the witness said. Moreover, Ioannou himself is facing a police disciplinary probe for his conduct.

Under cross-examination, Shailos was asked whether Ioannou had informed anyone in the police force about his knowledge of plans to murder the Sigma boss. The witness replied that Ioannou had told him that he had forewarned the victim personally and no one else.

One of the defendants’ lawyers put it to Ioannou that from the outset the police, for their own reasons, had ‘flagged’ Skordelli for the murder, ignoring other possible suspects – an assertion the witness denied. The trial resumes on 15 March.

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.