Man accused of shooting Hadjicostis says he’s innocent

THE MAN accused of pulling the trigger of the gun that killed media boss Andis Hadjicostis yesterday proclaimed his innocence while coming under fire by the prosecution at Nicosia criminal court.
The prosecution claimed that Gregoris Xenofontos, one of the four people charged with the murder of Hadjicostis in January 2010, had set up the hit and had allegedly told people he would be the one watching the victim’s residence as he was familiar with the place.
“I never watched that place and I did not commit murder,” Xenofontos said yesterday.
But the prosecution said that he had made his plans known to the alleged fixer and fellow defendant, Andreas Gregoriou, as well as to key prosecution witness Fanos Hadjigeorgiou, who has confessed to driving the getaway motorbike on the night of the murder in exchange for immunity.
“You have fabricated a story that cannot be borne by human logic,” the prosecution said, adding that everything that the court has heard so far pointed to his guilt.
“Everything I have said is true and everything that [prosecution witness] Fanos Hadjigeorgiou said are lies,” Xenofontos said.
The prosecution said that the defendant allegedly called Hadjigeorgiou shortly before the murder and told him to “hurry up and I’m in a rush to get the job done”.
But Xenofontos said that he never made such a phone call although he did arrange to meet at Hadjigeorgiou’s apartment to help him replace a curtain rail.
The prosecution alleged that Xenofontos was lying and had committed murder for money.
“I have committed evidence in court showing I had no financial problems,” Xenofontos said.
But the prosecution said that he allegedly met with the alleged fixer on the day after the murder demanding payments, which Xenofontos denied.
The prosecution needs to submit claims to the defendants during trials in order to be able include them in their closing statements at a later stage.
Hadjicostis – CEO of family-controlled DIAS media group and Sigma TV – died after being shot twice outside his home in Nicosia on January 12, 2010.
Facing murder charges are the alleged masterminds former television presenter Elena Skordelli and her brother Tasos Krasopoulis; alleged shooter Gregoris Xenofontos; and alleged fixer Andreas Gregoriou.

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