By Constantinos Psillides
THE trial of Aristo Developers founder Theodoros Aristodemou, his wife Roula, draftsman Christos Solomonides, and former Paphos municipal engineer Savvakis Savva entered its second day on Wednesday with the defence cross-examining officer Andreas Tsekouras, who is part of the task force investigating the case.
The defendants are on trial relating to a suspicious land-zoning deal, regarding the demarcation of 177 land plots in Skali, Paphos.
Police claims that the plans for which the demarcation permits were issued were switched with new plans, which seemed to cede approximately 4,000sq.m. previously designated as green space, back to Aristo.
Yiorgos Papaioannou, defence lawyer for Aristodemou, disputed the prosecution’s allegations on kickbacks supposedly paid to Savva.
Regarding a number of cheques – amounting to €80,000 – that Aristodemou issued from June 2011 to December 2012, Papaioannou claimed that it was money the businessman paid so that his late sister could receive cancer treatment abroad, accompanied by his other sister and her husband.
Tsekouras went on to dismiss the claim, saying that during that period Aristodemou cashed a €20,000 cheque, while Savva deposited that exact amount in his personal account three days later.
Papaioannou submitted as evidence the businessman’s chequebook, denying that his client ever met Savva during that period.
The defence lawyer also pointed out that while Androula Efthymiou, an employee at Paphos town hall, handed in 191 files relating to the case, in his statement Tsekouras said that he received 190.
Solomonides’ defence lawyer, Michalis Pikis, claimed that when police investigators arrested Solomonides they didn’t read him his rights.
Tsekouras rejected that claim.
Pikis also disputed that his client drafted altered plans for the project with the intention to deceive. He maintained that his client was trying to facilitate authorities.
Tsekouras, on the other hand, argued that the plans were altered so it could be filed as an official Land Registry document and that the company’s intention was to cede the green space back to Aristo.
The trial will resume on Thursday.
Theodoros and Roula Aristodemou, as well as Solomonides, are facing 32 charges each, while Savva is facing four additional counts in his capacity as a public official.
They are facing charges of forgery, conspiracy to defraud, abuse of power, and legalising money obtained from illicit actions.
The Cyprus News Agency reported, citing unnamed legal sources, that the trial is expected to drag on for four to five months.
