THE wife of a murdered contractor yesterday claimed her Pakistani lover had told her he was going to beat her husband, but she had told him not to do it.
The court listened attentively as 33-year-old Magda Eleftheriou read a prepared statement in which she admitted making mistakes but insisted she never wanted her husband to get hurt.
It was the first time she spoke since the trial started on February 14.
Eleftheriou, along with 22-year-old Zeeshan Asghar and his Chinese roommate Hu Yong Bo, 22, are facing premeditated murder and conspiracy charges in relation with the murder of Pavlos Christodolou, who was beaten and then burnt in the boot of his BMW on July 17 last year.
“I was ashamed to reveal my relationship with the first defendant (Asghar) even after Pavlos’ death, even now,” Magda told the court.
She said they met in the summer of 2003 and their relationship developed into an affair in the winter.
“Something, of which I am not proud,” she added.
The former bank employee said the relationship became a nightmare in the summer of 2004, with Asghar pressuring her to move in with him while she did not want to abandon her family.
“But at the same time I could not put an end to this relationship because I got close to him,” Magda said.
The situation got worse after Asghar learned she was going on a family trip to the UK, the court heard.
She became desperate and his behaviour was peculiar, she said.
“He told me that he would hit Pavlos, but I told him not to do it,” Magda added.
“I pleaded with Pavlos to meet with the first defendant to talk and find a solution, which I could not give,” she said.
The meeting was finally arranged for Saturday July 17, Asghar told her on the Friday before the murder.
She claimed that Pavlos confirmed it on the same night.
“I knew about the meeting.
“The first defendant told me to call him on Saturday when Pavlos left the house (for the meeting), because he (Asghar) did not have a car at his disposal,” Magda said.
She added: “I did not know the place of the meeting; it was arranged between them.”
Magda further claimed that Pavlos found out about the affair at the beginning of the year.
He reacted by cancelling her mobile phone account and taking her phone, the court heard.
“Unfortunately I continued to communicate with the first defendant and it was at that time that I sent the letters found in his possession,” she said.
Magda made the statement after opting to do so without being cross-examined by the prosecution.
Her two co-defendants, however, have chosen to take the stand and face cross-examination.
Asghar, who on Monday claimed he killed Pavlos in self-defence, was yesterday cross-examined by Magda’s defence attorney Costas Efstathiou.
Asghar said he had no intention of hitting or killing Pavlos and he had not agreed with anyone to do such a thing.
“Since you said you had no intention, shall we assume that the meeting was arranged to have a talk,” Efstathiou asked.
“Yes,” Asghar replied.
But the defendant denied he arranged the meeting directly with Pavlos over the phone.
On Monday, Asghar claimed that Magda knew the details of the meeting.
And like Asghar on Monday, his Chinese co-defendant yesterday changed his story claiming he had nothing to do with the crime.
He said he did not agree with his July 19, 2004 statement he gave to police and claimed it was given because he was beaten.
The court adjourned for June 17, when the state will present its closing arguments.
