Michaelides moved to Central Prison

Former minister Dinos Michaelides, wanted by Greece in connection with money laundering, was transferred to the Central Prison on Monday, as his lawyers appealed a court decision to extradite him.

Michaelides had been in hospital since last Wednesday, after feeling ill during a hearing before a Limassol court that ordered his arrest pending his extradition to Greece.

On Monday, his lawyers filed an appeal against the decision, which the Supreme Court must consider within eight days.

Michaelides and his son Michalis are wanted in Greece in connection with alleged kickbacks paid in the purchase by Greece of Russian TOR-M1 surface-to-air missile systems.

They have been fighting extradition for the past couple of months.

His son’s case will be heard on September 4.

The pair had been implicated after the arrest of former Greek defence minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos in connection with the case.

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.