Spy trial set for February 25

THE TRIAL of Avgoustinos Skoullou, a Maronite accused of spying, was set yesterday for February 25.

Skoullou, 53, was arrested at the Ledra Palace checkpoint on January 14 after documents relating to National Guard installations and weapons systems were found in his car. He was preparing to cross to the occupied areas.

Police say Skoullou has admitted that he was to hand classified military information to a senior Turkish officer, but that he said he was in fact spying for the National Guard. In addition to the four-page document, a search of Skoullou’s car and house revealed two loaded cameras and a pair of binoculars.

The Maronite community has issued a statement condemning the alleged actions of Skoullou and George Josephides, another Maronite arrested on spying charges in October.

Under the 1975 Vienna agreement on the enclaved, members of the Maronite community enjoy free movement across the Green Line.

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.