By Emilio Parodi

Both the prosecution and defence have asked a Milan court to order former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to serve a one-year sentence for tax fraud doing community service, judicial sources said on Thursday.

The judge told reporters after the first day of hearings that the court would decide in 5-15 days what kind of punishment the centre-right leader will receive.

The ruling will be crucial in determining what role the 77-year-old – still the most influential political figure on Italy’s right – can continue to play in public life over the coming year.

Berlusconi could in theory be sent to prison or put under house arrest, but as both the prosecutor and his lawyers favour community service, this appears the most likely outcome.

The media tycoon’s lawyers told to the court their client could “motivate” disabled people at a new home to be opened in the countryside outside Milan. An Italian government agency earlier asked for Berlusconi to work in a centre for the elderly.

Berlusconi’s most immediate concern is to be able to campaign at the head of his Forza Italia party for European Parliament elections next month. The court could either facilitate this or make it virtually impossible by setting strict limits on his freedom of movement and action.

For example he could be prevented from holding political rallies or giving media interviews, or be allowed to do both.

The four-time prime minister has dominated Italian politics since the mid-1990s, but was expelled from the Senate last November after being convicted of masterminding a complex system of tax fraud at his Mediaset television network.

His four-year jail sentence was commuted to one year under a law aimed at reducing prison overcrowding. Under Italy’s snail-paced justice system, it is only this month, more than 10 years after the crime and eight months after the verdict, that it will be decided when and how he will serve his sentence.

After completing the first six months, Berlusconi’s sentence will automatically be reduced to 10 and a half months. If his behaviour is considered impeccable it may be reduced further, to nine months.

Berlusconi continues to protest his innocence and says he has been pursued by a left-wing judiciary.

Berlusconi’s centre-right has suffered an internal split and lost support since he almost won last year’s national election, but Forza Italia is still Italy’s second or third largest party with about 20 percent of the vote, according to opinion polls.

On Thursday the party’s lower house leader, Renato Brunetta, compared Berlusconi to Burmese Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, who spent years under house arrest and became one of the world’s most prominent political prisoners.

“Berlusconi is a symbol and you can’t silence symbols, you can’t muzzle them and you can’t block them,” Brunetta said.

By Sonya Dowsett

A former Spanish policeman denied he had carried out torture at a hearing in a Madrid court on Thursday, part of an extradition request from Argentina, where he is wanted for crimes allegedly committed during dictator General Francisco Franco’s rule.

Antonio Gonzalez, 67, spoke only to oppose his extradition and deny accusations of torture, radio station Cadena Ser said.

He said he could not remember if he had ever been accused of torture during his time as a policeman in Spain.

“I cannot remember for sure. Maybe a long, long time ago… I’ve been in retirement since I was 65,” he said, according to Cadena Ser.

A High Court spokesman said Gonzalez oppposed his extradition but declined to give details about what was said in the closed hearing.

Gonzalez is one of two former policemen targeted with an extradition request from an Argentine judge who is using international human rights law to investigate possible crimes against humanity while Spain upholds an amnesty for Franco-era officials. Spain has yet to decide whether it will extradite the two men.

Spain, in common with many Latin American countries in their transition to democracy, passed an amnesty law in 1977 which pardoned the crimes of the Franco government. Lawyers are seeking to override this legislation under international law.

Hundreds of Spaniards have turned to an Argentine court to seek justice for alleged crimes committed against them and their families during the 36-year dictatorship, which ended with Franco’s death in 1975.

Gonzalez, known as ‘Billy the Kid’, is accused of torturing 13 people between 1971 and 1975, crimes that could net up to 25 years in jail under Argentine law. Fellow former policeman Jesus Munecas is accused of torturing one person.

Spain’s state prosecutor opposes the extradition of the men, saying too much time has passed for the crimes to be passed under the country’s statute of limitations, which sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings may be started.

The state prosecutor has also hinted that the torture accusations against Gonzalez and Munecas could be looked into in Spain. The two men had their passports taken away in December and must report weekly to a court.

Spain’s High Court protected Gonzalez’s identity during the short court appearance, only allowing photos of the back of his head to be taken. He emerged from the court wearing dark glasses and a motorbike helmet.

Such measures were taken because he had received threats and had been followed in the street, his lawyer said, according to El Pais newspaper.

Munecas appeared before court in a separate extradition hearing last week.

Argentine judge Maria Servini hopes international human rights law will override Spain’s amnesty. The law is the same as Spain itself used in 2005 to prosecute a member of Argentina’s former military dictatorship in Spanish courts for crimes against humanity.

Pioneering human rights investigator, Baltasar Garzon, told Reuters in an interview in February that although Spain was cooperating with Argentina in the proceedings, he believed it highly unlikely any extradition would take place.

The United Nations urged Spain last October to draw up a plan to search for those who went missing in forced disappearances under Franco and recommended scrapping the amnesty for political crimes committed during the 1936-39 civil war and under Franco.

Spain responded by saying that the amnesty would not be reviewed.

By Michelle Nichols, Crispin and Dembassa-Kette

The United Nations Security Council authorized on Thursday the creation of a nearly 12,000-strong UN peacekeeping force in the Central African Republic in a bid to end violence between Christians and Muslims that has threatened to spiral into genocide.

The mainly Muslim Seleka seized power a year ago, perpetrating abuses on the majority Christian population that triggered waves of revenge attacks, leading to thousands of deaths and displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians.

At least 13 people were killed when Christian militia forces, known as the “anti-balaka,” attacked a town held by Muslim Seleka rebels in a rural area of Central African Republic earlier this week, residents said on Thursday.

The 15-member Security Council authorized a UN force, to be known as MINUSCA, of up to 10,000 troops, 1,800 police and 20 corrections officers. It also authorizes French troops in the landlocked former French colony to support UN peacekeepers.

The UN operation will assume authority on Sept. 15 from the African Union’s 5,600-strong MISCA force, which was deployed in December. The council wants the UN force to include “as many MISCA military and police personnel as possible.”

“I’m happy for the arrival of the blue helmets because their presence here will give back hope to the population,” said sociology student Jean Felix Keinam, 31, in the capital, Bangui. “We have seen the MISCA and (the French troops) try to restore security here, but they have failed.”

Bangui shopkeeper Jonas Dekezendi, 42, was less enthusiastic. “These 12,000 blue helmets are going to change nothing. (The French troops) and MISCA came and it changed absolutely nothing – people are still suffering,” he said.

Killings have continued between Christians and the increasingly isolated Muslim communities in the impoverished country of 4.6 million people despite the presence of 2,000 French troops and the African Union forces. An 800-strong European Union force is due to start deploying in May.

Top UN officials have warned that the violence in the large, sparsely populated country could become genocide.

‘UNTOLD HORRORS’

During a brief visit to Bangui on Saturday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said French and African soldiers serving in the Central African Republic are “overwhelmed” by the “state of anarchy” in the country.

After the vote on Thursday Ban called for more support for the African troops until the UN force is operational.

“African Union troops supported by the French troops are doing tremendous work to protect the civilian population, but it’s not yet enough,” French UN Ambassador Gerard Araud told reporters after the Security Council vote on Thursday.

Araud said the UN peacekeeping operation would focus on protecting civilians, restoring law and order, supporting humanitarian aid access, monitoring human rights abuses and fighting impunity.

US Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, who visited Bangui on Tuesday for the second time, said the violence between Christians and Muslims had brought the Central African Republic ”to the edge of disaster.”

“Untold horrors continue in small villages throughout the countryside and more than 19,000 Muslims are trapped in the capital, too afraid of anti-balaka forces to leave their hiding places,” Power told reporters.

There are concerns about a security vacuum in the coming months following Chad’s decision last week to withdraw its 850 troops due to controversy over a series of violent incidents involving its peacekeepers.

“I think the Chadians offered significant solace to Muslims in the Central African Republic so, notwithstanding some of incidents that occurred that caused great concern, there is a loss in seeing these troops depart,” Power said.

ENORMOUS CHALLENGES

A UN report accused Chadian troops of killing 30 civilians and wounding 300 in an attack on a crowded market last month.

However, the country’s withdrawal of its troops does not weaken its commitment or determination to help end the crisis, Chadian UN Ambassador Mahamat Zene Cherif told the UN Security Council.

Until the UN force is in place, Cherif also appealed to the international community for more money and logistical support for African troops in a bid to stop the violence against civilians, particularly the Muslim minority.

“While we wait for the effective deployment of MINUSCA, it is urgent for the international community to take significantly robust measures to put a stop to the massacres and the terrible scenes of lynching which have been perpetrated against the civilian population,” Cherif told the Security Council.

The council resolution urges the Central African Republic transitional authorities “to accelerate the preparations in order to hold free, fair, transparent and inclusive presidential and legislative elections no later than February 2015.”

General Mohamed Moussa Dhaffane, interim Seleka president, told Reuters on Thursday it was not possible to hold elections by February “because there is a large part of the population which are refugees outside the country.”

“We cannot hold elections without these people,” he said.

Foreign Minister Toussaint Kongo-Doudou told reporters at the United Nations that while it was not up to the international community to solve the problems in Central African Republic, the country needs help.

“The challenges are enormous, that’s why we are very happy that the members of the Security Councilhave adopted that resolution because the U.N., we believe, is the only partner in the world today who can help us handle this crisis,” he said.

THE cabinet has decided to pay pensioners an Easter allowance provided they fulfil the income criteria.

The allowance of €190 will be granted to single-person households whose annual income does not exceed €6,500.

The cabinet also decided to hire 1,178 seasonal workers as part of the policy to contain the rise of unemployment.

The EU statistical service said the jobless rate in Cyprus rose from 14.7 per cent to 16.7 per cent or 74,000 people in February, one of the highest annual increases in the European Union.

THE Federation of Secondary School Parents’ Associations of Nicosia has asked the education ministry not to go ahead with plans to turn the Phaneromeni school into the University of Cyprus college of architecture, due to the high school’s historic significance.

“The Phaneromeni high school’s history dates back to 1859. The least we would expect from the state was to upgrade the school by bringing students from nearby areas. Closing down a school is sad, especially one with such a rich history as Phaneromeni. We are saddened to see that once more decisions are made to benefit the few, while disregarding the welfare of children in the area,” the parents association said in a statement.

The teachers’ union OELMEK also voiced its opposition against the ministry’s plan and said that turning Phaneromeni into a college would “alter its character as it was dictated by the building’s history.

VETERAN actor Antreas Mousouliotis died on Thursday, following a battle with cancer.

The actor was 75 years old.

Mousouliotis was born in 1939 and studied acting at the famous Karolos Koun Art Theatre in Athens. He was one of the first Cypriot actors to gain widespread recognition. He mostly played comedy roles and collaborated with all major theatre companies during his career, including the national Cyprus Theatre Organisation.

The Education and Ministry issued a statement, saying Mousouliotis was “one of the most influential and important actors of his time.”

A 22-YEAR-OLD Indian woman was arrested, accused of abandoning the 20-month-old baby she was looking after, police said.

The 22-year old was arrested by Limassol police after the parents returned from work and found the baby alone in the house. They reported the incident and the woman was found and arrested.

Limassol police spokesman Ioannis Soteriadis said that the Indian woman claimed her working conditions were very harsh so she chose to leave the house. “The woman claims that she waited until the mother was to return so the baby wasn’t left alone for too long. She says that the baby was left alone for one hour,” he said.

The woman was employed by the family since July.

The 22-year old now faces charges of abandoning a child under two years of age, a crime with the maximum sentence of five years imprisonment.

She is to appear in court on April 16.

By Elias Hazou

LAWMAKERS on Thursday grudgingly approved the budgets of 13 semi-governmental organisations amid gripes they did not have enough time to properly scrutinise the balance sheets.

During the last session of the plenum before the Easter break, all MPs present voted in favour, bar Greens deputy Giorgos Perdikis who abstained.

Some MPs complained they had had to stay up all night to speed-read through hundreds of pages, leaving them scarce time to spot any controversial funds.

This year, the budgets took longer than usual to be submitted to the legislature, resulting in several SGOs paying salaries for two months without the funds having previously been okayed.

As a result, the budgets were virtually approved as submitted, save for some minor adjustments. Legislators did not release a €10m fund from the Electricity Authority’s (EAC) budget allocated to an early retirement scheme for 109 employees. Parliament also blocked a fund for the purchase of a vehicle for the executive chairman of the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (CyTA).

Approved along with the CyTA budget was a voluntary retirement scheme designed for the early exit of some 550 employees.

At a time of austerity, most of the SGOs have seen their budgets cut back compared to last year.

The EAC budget for 2014, the largest of the items, comes to €753m (estimated revenues of €786m), followed by CyTA at €448m and the Cyprus Tourism Organisation at €50m.

The other SGOs whose budgets were passed yesterday were: Organisation for Storage and Management of Oil Stocks, the Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), the Game Fund, Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation, Cyprus Theatre Organisation, State Fairs Authority, Cyprus Land Development Corporation, Cyprus Sports Organisation, Cyprus News Agency and the Health Insurance Organisation.

The next session of the plenum is scheduled for May 8, while an extraordinary session will be held on the following day to discuss the House Ethics Committee’s report into the collapse of the economy and the banking system.

By Constantinos Psillides

CYPRUS, Israel, the United States and Greece carried out a joint search and rescue exercise on Thursday codenamed “Nemesis – 2014”, in an area between Cypriot and Israeli territorial waters.

Defence minister Christoforos Fokaides said he was impressed by the excellent preparation, noting that it confirmed the adequacy and professionalism of the National Guard and all services involved.

He thanked the US, Israel and Greece for participating with their air and naval forces, adding that through such alliances and cooperation, Cyprus can develop and reinforce its geostrategic role as a pillar of stability, security and regional cooperation.

Asked how cooperation will continue with Israel and the US, Fokaides said that similar exercises are being held on a continuous basis, adding “we are in contact with the respective ministers.

Justice Minister Ionas Nicolaou, who was also present, said that the exercise is a testament to the extent Cyprus cares about its search and rescue centre, as well as the protection of its national interests.

“We will not spare any territory or the least responsibility in relation to issues that concern the sovereignty of the country. The exercise has given us the possibility of evaluating the readiness of services of the Republic of Cyprus which is surely at a high level,” he added.

We are at a very good level, said Nicolaou, noting that this does not mean that the effort stops here. “There is work to be done, there are possibilities and we need to evaluate in the best possible manner how we can serve the interests of the region and promote in the best possible manner the interests of Cyprus.”

The two ministers were accompanied by Commerce, Energy and Tourism minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis, who said that the exercise was impressive.

“It proves that our search and rescue centre can coordinate any operation that takes place in our area. It is an effort to coordinate with our allies,” said Lakkotrypis, adding that the Cyprus search and rescue centre will be reinforced.

By Ed Cropley

A South African prosecutor accused Oscar Pistorius on Thursday of lying and altering his story when the Olympic and Paralympic athlete described the night he shot dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day last year.

The double amputee sprinter, once revered across the world for his triumph over physical adversity, faces life in prison if convicted in the Pretoria High Court of the murder of Steenkamp, a 29-year-old law graduate and model.

Pistorius, known as ‘Blade Runner’ due to the prosthetics he wears on the track, says he shot Steenkamp in a tragic accident, firing at what he thought was an intruder hiding behind a toilet door in his luxury Pretoria home on Feb. 14 last year.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel, whose reputation as one of South Africa’s toughest attorneys has earned him the nickname ‘The Pitbull’, cross-examined Pistorius while looking through photographs of the couple’s bedroom taken after the shooting.

In a period of fierce questioning, Nel pointed out a series of objects in one picture which ran counter toPistorius’ account of events. In response, the sprinter accused the police of tampering with the scene but Nel ridiculed this suggestion.

“Let’s sum up: A policeman moved the two fans, put the duvet on the floor, opened the curtains wider than they should be before the photographs were taken,” Nel said.

“Your version is so improbable that nobody would ever think it’s reasonably possibly true … Your version is a lie.”

Pistorius says after he shot Steenkamp, he ran out onto the balcony and screamed for help. However, in a picture shown to the court, a duvet and a large stand-up electrical fan clearly block his route to the balcony door.

With no direct witnesses, Nel’s main task is to pick holes in Pistorius’ testimony and cast doubt on his assertion he believed a burglar was in his house, a common fear in crime-obsessed South Africa.

Witnesses in nearby buildings have testified to hearing a woman’s scream before the sound of shots, which the prosecution hopes will help prove that the couple had a heated argument before Pistorius intentionally killed Steenkamp.

“ANYBODY BUT YOURSELF”

During much of the 19-day trial, Nel has sought to portray Pistorius as an arrogant hot-head who is reckless with firearms and refuses to take responsibility for his actions.

“You will blame anybody but yourself,” Nel said to the 27-year-old track star, cross-examining him about a separate incident in which Pistorius is accused of firing a pistol in a packed restaurant.

Pistorius said the gun was given to him by a friend under the restaurant table and went off by itself. Police Captain Christian Mangena gave evidence earlier in the trial, saying the weapon could only fire if the trigger was pulled.

The athlete said he could not explain how the gun went off and questioned his own defence advocate Barry Roux’s decision not to cross-examine Mangena on his evidence.

“Now you blame counsel Mr Roux,” Nel said, prompting Roux to shake his head at a colleague.

“You are lying,” Nel said, holding Pistorius in a stare. “You just refuse to take responsibility for anything.”

In a dramatic opening to his cross-examination on Wednesday, Nel shocked the Pretoria court when he confronted Pistorius with a graphic photograph of the dead Steenkamp showing the side and back of her skull, her hair matted with blood and brain tissue.

Pistorius broke down and sobbed as Nel pushed him repeatedly to take responsibility for killing Steenkamp.

By Constantinos Psillides

A HUNT for some of the UK’s most-wanted fugitives believed to be hiding in Cyprus got underway yesterday, with a coordinated campaign led by the UK crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers and the National Crime Agency (NCA).

The second Operation Zygos features six new appeals and the five remaining fugitives from the first campaign in 2012. All are thought to be evading justice in what is one of the most popular countries for British expats.

Rape, heroin trafficking and fraud are some of the crimes the individuals are wanted for by the UK law enforcement agencies. One involves a case of a rogue travel agent who defrauded 20,000 people by duping customers into buying cut-price holidays.

Other alleged crimes include a horse racing betting scam and fraud connected to the breeding of racehorses.

Since the original “Op Zygos” appeal, four of the nine wanted were arrested, the first within just 48 hours of the campaign when a man wanted for sexual offences against a child was located. Among those caught were Wayne Smith and Julie Skelding who were wanted for causing death by dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice.

British High Commissioner Matthew Kidd said that the campaign highlights the cooperation between Crimestoppers, the NCA and the Cypriot police (CYPOL), the diplomatic mission in Nicosia as well as other British and Cypriot law enforcement agencies.

Lord Ashcroft, founder and chair of Crimestoppers, said: “Following the last Operation Zygos appeal in 2012, a third of the featured suspects were arrested in just three weeks, reiterating the impact of the Crimestoppers model in the UK and overseas in locating criminals attempting to evade justice.

“Operation Zygos aims to ensure members of the public in Cyprus are alert to the possible presence of the eleven wanted individuals. Information given anonymously to Crimestoppers can help lead to their arrest.”

Steve Bennett, the NCA’s head of European operations, added: “Fugitives don’t just give up their criminal behaviour, they typically remain part of the criminal world, creating harm and causing damage, sometimes to the new communities they live in. We are determined to ensure life on the run is intolerable for them and that they are brought back to face justice.”

“The most important thing is the power of this campaign to harness the eyes and ears of the public, both in Cyprus and the UK. If you have information on the whereabouts of our targets, no matter how small or trivial, call Crimestoppers anonymously and let us know.”

Cyprus police deputy chief Andreas Kyriakou urged people to cooperate with Crimestoppers, adding that in today’s globalised environment criminals know no borders.

“Although Cyprus is a hospitable country under no circumstances will it turn into a refuge for criminals. To that end we must all work together,” he said.

Asked about cooperation with the Turkish Cypriot authorities, Kyriakou said that there is a bi-communal office that deals with preventing crime, the ‘Joint Communications Room’ (JCR).

Presenting the suspects, Crimestoppers chief executive Mark Hallas urged people to keep an eye out and inform local authorities or contact Crimestoppers directly, noting that anonymity is guaranteed and in these years it was never compromised.

The local number  is8000 5511 which will be answered in the UK by Crimestoppers’ call agents. A translation service is available upon request. People can also pass on information anonymously via the UK Crimestoppers number 0800 555 111, or via the anonymous online form.

The persons wanted by Crimestoppers:

Jeffrey Bloor

DOB: 12/01/73

Nationality: British

Place of birth: Brighton

Description: White male; heavy build; blue eyes; ginger hair; 1.67m tall; surgical scar on left side of abdomen

Offences: Conspiracy to defraud; money laundering

Between 30/4/03 and 13/2/08 Bloor was allegedly involved in a conspiracy relating to the provision of horse racing tipping services, plus various types of advance fee fraud connected to the breeding of racehorses.

A betting brochure was produced and distributed to known gamblers whose details had been obtained from mailing lists. The brochure advertised campaigns guaranteeing large financial returns if you paid a membership fee. There was also the offer of large returns for blood stocks which never existed.

Bloor allegedly operated the company bank account and received money from investors that was distributed to his co-conspirators. This amounted to millions of pounds.

Richard Ardolino

DOB: 31/07/75

Nationality: British

Place of birth: Leeds

Description: Slim; short brown hair; scar on right leg

Conspiracy to defraud; money Laundering

Between 13/04/05 and 20/12/07 Ardolino allegedly conspired with others to fraudulently obtain mortgages in order to purchase houses across the UK. The money laundering charge relates to the concealment and transfer of criminal property.

Osman Aydeniz

DOB: 26/08/78

Nationality: Cypriot

Last resident in: London

Description: White male

Offences: Conspiracy to supply class A drugs; conspiracy to commit theft; money laundering

Aydeniz is wanted in connection with conspiracy to supply 17.83 kg of diamorphine. Three others have already been convicted in connection with this offence. He is also wanted for conspiracy to commit theft and transferring criminal property.

Ersin Mustafa

DOB: 30/12/75

Nationality: British

Alias: Ersin Kahraman

Place of birth: London

Description: Approximately 5ft 6ins tall; dark hair; Mediterranean appearance; stocky/muscular build

Offences: Eight counts of insider dealing

Between 2006 to 2008, Mustafa is believed to have been involved in insider dealing with seven other individuals. While employed at the London branch of investment bank JP Morgan Cazenove, he allegedly obtained information about future acquisitions and mergers, which were provided to others who then traded using this information. Over a two-year period, the group made approximately £2.5 million in criminal profits. In July 2008 Mustafa was arrested by the City of London Police and then released on bail. It is believed he fled the UK around December 2009.

Ozgur Demir

DOB: 06/02/75

Nationality: Turkish

Last resident in: London

Description: White male

Offences: Conspiracy to supply class A drugs

Demir is wanted in connection with conspiracy to supply 17.83 kg of diamorphine. Three others have already been convicted in connection with this offence.

Christakis Philippou

DOB: 05/11/43

Nationality: British

Alias: Christakis Chrysostomou

Description: 1.69m tall; proportionate build, swept back receding dark/graying hair, bushy eyebrows

Offences: Conspiracy to defraud

Between 2004 and 2006, Philippou was involved in conspiracies where he and his co-defendants repeatedly set out to acquire, or sometimes to set up from scratch, travel agency businesses which were used as vehicles for fraud. The travel agencies attracted customers by offering cut-price holidays. The prices were so low that legitimate companies could not compete with them. In each case, the travel agency ceased to trade, leaving customers without a holiday. This scam defrauded an estimated 20,000 people.

Timur Mehmet

DOB: 13-04-1973

Nationality: British

Place of birth: London

Wanted by: HMRC

Offences: Conspiracy to cheat the public revenue

Mehmet is wanted for his role in a conspiracy to cheat the public revenue by operating a Missing Trader Intra-community (MTIC) fraud. This caused a loss to the UK of £25 million (€31.5million).

Mehmet appeared in court in June 2007 and was told that failure to return for his trial in October 2007 could result in him being tried and sentenced in his absence. He failed to attend and was subsequently found guilty. He was sentenced to eight years.

Costas Sampson

Dob: 15-02-1991

Nationality: Cypriot

Alias: Kostas

Offences: Rape, theft, voyeurism

On 25/8/12 Sampson was convicted of raping a girl he met at a nightclub in London in February 2010. The girl was taken unwell after accepting a drink from a stranger, and Sampson and a friend offered to take her home. Sampson told one of the girl’s friends that he was a medical expert. He later raped the girl at her flat while she was incapacitated. Sampson was also convicted of stealing her mobile phone, plus her flatmate’s laptop and games console.

Mehmet Salih

Dob: 10-06-1971

Nationality: Cypriot

Alias: Aynur Mehmet Salih

Offences: Conspiracy to supply class A drugs

Between December 2010 and November 2011 Salih is accused of being involved in a conspiracy to supply cocaine. It is believed he was contacted on a regular basis by an associate for the purposes of buying cocaine, delivering it and collecting payments.

In May 2011 Salih allegedly visited Lincolnshire to deliver a quantity of cocaine that was subsequently recovered by the police. He was arrested and was in possession of £20,000 (€25,000). Salih was released on bail to appear at a police station later in the year but failed to attend.

Hasan Akarcay

Dob: 18-07-1956

Nationality: Cypriot

Alias details: Hassan ETEM/brahim ETEM

Offences: Conspiracy to supply class A drugs

Akarcay is wanted in connection with the supply of class A drugs after an associate was found transporting 12.5 kilos of diamorphine, with a street value of £600,000 (€758,000), from London to Bradford.

Martin Evans

Dob: 28-01-1962

Alias DOB: 20/01/1962

Alias details: Martin Roydon EVANS/Martin Royden EVANS/Martin Wayne EVANS/Anthony HALL/Paul KELLY

Nationality: British

Place of birth: Swansea

Offences: Conspiracy to supply class A drugs; fraudulent trading

Between 1999 and 2001 Evans led an organised crime group supplying cocaine, MDMA and ecstasy. The proceeds were converted into foreign currency and transported to the Netherlands to fund further drug consignments.

Evans is also wanted for fraudulent trading as director of an incorporated company, Ostrich Centre Limited, in 1995. Evans stole several hundred thousand pounds invested by members of the public.

By a staff reporter

DANNY Brewster, CEO of bitcoin vendors Neo & Bee, is wanted by police on suspicion of fraud.

Police issued an arrest warrant for Brewster on Friday. Sources told the Cyprus Mail that Brewster is “a person of interest in an ongoing investigation” involving the alleged defrauding of Neo & Bee customers.

The Mail is told that so far three formal complaints have been filed against Brewster alleging he fraudulently obtained money from customers in exchange for bitcoins, which they never received.

The two earlier complaints filed last week concerned the amounts of €20,000 and €15,000.

A police source did not rule out subsequently issuing a European arrest warrant for Brewster.

Other media outlets have reported that the company halted operations late in March before its software to carry out transactions had even gone live.

Brewster dropped off the grid on April 2, when he last posted on a bitcoin forum claiming he had fled the island due to threats against his family. The entrepreneur also claimed that he reported the threats to authorities here, although police said no formal complaint was filed.

In his post, Brewster said he initially left Cyprus on a “short-term temporary basis” in order to raise additional capital for the business “through the sale of my equity as we had run out of liquidity.”

His plans changed, he added, the moment threats were made against his daughter, at which point he decided to remain abroad and to sell all of his equity in the company.

He denied claims of embezzlement, stating “every single bitcoin raised and spent is accounted for.”

Earlier, a source at Neo & Bee said they got word from Brewster on March 19 that he had gone abroad to raise capital, but didn’t hear from him since.

Bizarrely, an updated prospectus for LMB Holdings – the parent company of Neo & Bee – prepared by Brewster himself – is dated March 17, just two days prior.

Neo & Bee staff have not been paid their March wages, and it’s understood that most – if not all – have resigned.

Days before Brewster’s eyebrow-raising post on the web, Havelock Investments said it was halting trading of the Neo & Bee fund on its platform due to “abnormal activity.”

Trading in the fund has since resumed, though at very low volumes. The share price and market capitalisation of the Neo & Bee Payment Network have both plunged.

According to havelockinvestments.com, the owner and operator of Havelock Investments is the Panama Fund, a private investment company. The fund is administered by “a practicing legal license company that specialises in international business law in the Republic of Panama.”

Neo & Bee’s troubles arose barely a month after the business launched with a grand opening of its flagship store in Nicosia.

By Naomi O’Leary

Pope Francis made his first public plea for forgiveness on Friday for the “evil” committed by priests who molested children, using some of his strongest words yet on the Roman Catholic Church’s sexual abuse crisis.

The Argentine-born pontiff said the Church, which last month named a high-level group on the scandal including an abuse victim, had to take an stronger stand on a scandal that has haunted it for more than two decades.

“I feel compelled to personally take on all the evil that some priests – quite a few in number, (although) obviously not compared to the number of all priests – to personally ask for forgiveness for the damage they have done for having sexually abused children,” he told members of the International Catholic Child Bureau.

“The church is aware of this … personal, moral damage carried out by men of the church, and we will not take one step backward with regards to how we will deal with this problem, and to the sanctions that must be imposed.

“On the contrary, we have to be even stronger. Because you cannot interfere with children,” Francis said in unscripted comments as he addressed the children’s rights body.

The comments, originally in Spanish, were translated by the Vatican Radio news service.

Francis did not specify whether “sanctions” would be church-enforced or involve civil justice authorities. In February the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child accused the Vatican of systematically turning a blind eye to decades of abuse and attempting to cover up sex crimes.

The scathing report urged the church to immediately hand over its records on the abuse of tens of thousands of children, immediately remove anyone suspected of abuse from their post and refer the matter to civil legal authorities.

“JUST TALK”

Criticism that Francis has not taken a bold enough stand on the issue, and did not meet with sexual abuse victims in Italy and in a July trip to Brazil, has been a rare black spot in the overwhelmingly positive response to the pontiff in the 13 months he has been in office.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), which advocates for child protection and urges greater transparency in the church, on Friday said Francis’ words should be received with caution.

“We beg the world’s Catholics: be impressed by deeds, not words. Until the pope takes decisive action that protects kids, be sceptical and vigilant,” SNAP Outreach Director Barbara Dorris said.

“This may be the first time a pope has talked of sanctions against complicit bishops. But that is all it is: talk.”

The church has been accused of condoning the actions of bishops who moved known abusers from parish to parish, allowing abuse to continue.

Under Francis’ direction, the Vatican announced in December the creation of a new dedicated group to help the church deal with the abuse crisis. Its members were named in late March.

The group of clerics and lay people includes Marie Collins, a survivor of abuse in Ireland in the 1960s who has campaigned for the protection of children and for justice for victims.

Child abuse litigation has cost the Catholic Church some $3 billion in settlements in the United States alone, and shaken the moral authority of leaders of the world’s largest religious denomination.

By Roberta Rampton and Steve Holland

President Barack Obama said on Friday he will promote budget director Sylvia Mathews Burwell to be his next health secretary, who will preside over the next difficult phase of his healthcare law in the months before November congressional elections.

Burwell, whose nomination must be approved by the US Senate, will replace Kathleen Sebelius, who became the public face of the disastrous rollout of Obamacare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act, which Republicans plan to exploit as they seek to take control of the Senate.

The Oct. 1 launch of health insurance marketplaces was plagued by a website, HealthCare.gov, which did not work well for weeks.

Obama made it clear he did not blame Sebelius for the problems. In remarks interrupted multiple times by sustained cheering from White House and administration officials, he praised Sebelius, saying she will go down in history for her work implementing the program, meant to reduce the number of Americans without health insurance and cut into massive US healthcare costs.

“She’s got bumps, I’ve got bumps, bruises,” Obama said.

“Yes, we lost the first quarter of the open enrollment period with the problems with HealthCare.gov. And there were problems,” he said.

“But under Kathleen’s leadership, her team at HHS turned the corner, got it fixed, got the job done, and the final score speaks for itself,” he said, noting that 7.5 million people have signed up for healthinsurance under the program, exceeding expectations.

Burwell, 48, has served in several senior administrative roles, most recently as the head of the Office of Management and Budget.

While in the private sector, she was a member of the board of directors at MetLife.

“She gained firsthand experience into how insurance markets worked and how they could work better for businesses and families alike,” Obama said.

Her appointment gives Democrats nervous about holding on to the Senate in midterm elections a chance to show the administration has turned the page on Obamacare problems.

Obama praised Burwell for her management skills and her help guiding the administration through a 16-day government shutdown last fall.

“Sylvia was a rock, a steady hand on the wheel who helped navigate the country through a very challenging time,” he said.

He urged the Senate to quickly confirm her, noting her nomination as OMB director went unopposed. “I’m assuming not that much has changed since that time,” he said.

Sebelius chuckled throughout Obama’s speech, and spoke passionately about her accomplishments in his administration.

“This is the most meaningful work I’ve ever been a part of,” she said.

And then Sebelius gave her critics some final fodder by declaring there was a glitch in her speech.

“Unfortunately, a page is missing,” she said.

By Jim Finkle

The US government warned banks, infrastructure operators and other organizations on Friday to be on alert for hackers who may take advantage of the Heartbleed bug to steal data from vulnerable networks.

On a website for advising critical infrastructure operators about emerging cyber threats, the Department of Homeland asked organizations to report any Heartbleed-related attacks.

Federal regulators advised financial institutions to identify any vulnerable systems, patch them, and then test them to make sure they are safe.

The Department of Homeland Security was working with federal, state and local governments to uncover and mitigate potential threats, Larry Zelvin, director of the DHS’s National Cyber security and Communications Integration Center, said separately in a blog post on the White House website Friday.

“While there have not been any reported attacks or malicious incidents involving this particular vulnerability at this time, it is still possible that malicious actors in cyberspace could exploit unpatched systems,” Zelvin said.

The German government released an advisory that echoed the one by Washington, describing the bugas “critical.”

“An attacker can take advantage of the vulnerability and can read the memory contents of the OpenSSL server,” said the notice posted by the German Federal Office for Information Security.

The widespread bug surfaced late on Monday, when it was disclosed that a pernicious flaw in a widely used Web encryption program known as OpenSSL left hundreds of thousands of websites open to data theft.

Now, technology companies are rushing to identify pieces of vulnerable OpenSSL code elsewhere, including email servers, ordinary PCs, phones and even security products.

Companies including Cisco Systems Inc and Intel Corp have rushed to release updates to protect against the threat, warning customers they may be at risk.

OpenSSL software is used with SSL technology to encrypt traffic, using digital certificates and “keys” to keep information secure while it is in transit over the Internet and corporate networks.

The vulnerability went undetected for several years, so security experts have warned that hackers have likely stolen some of those certificates and keys, which means their data has long been vulnerable to spying.

In their advisory, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council regulatory group suggested that banks consider replacing those certificates and keys.

“Financial institutions should operate with the assumption that encryption keys used on vulnerable servers are no longer viable for protecting sensitive information and should therefore strongly consider requiring users and administrators to change passwords after applying the OpenSSL patch,” said the FFIEC, a consortium of regulators including the Fed and the Treasury Department.

By Angelos Anastasiou

DESPITE relevant legislation having been passed in 2010, and himself appointed in June 2013, Financial Ombudsman Pavlos Ioannou is only now gearing up to get to work as the budget for his department was approved on Wednesday by the council of ministers.

The Financial Ombudsman is an independent service tasked with settling disputes between financial institutions and their customers – a daunting undertaking given the astronomical number of non-performing loans (NPLs) in post-March 2013 Cyprus that will ostensibly need to be renegotiated.

The office is designed to serve as an independent authority that would be engaged when all internal restructuring efforts made privately between the banks and borrowers have been exhausted, in order to help broker a settlement without resorting to the courts.

Following the approval of the budget that will allow for the staffing of the Ombudsman’s office, Ioannou told local daily Phileleftheros that his department could be operational as soon as two to four months from now, depending on hiring procedures. “After the department has been staffed, my estimation is that roughly six weeks will be required for training,” he said.

Budgeted expenditures for 2014 were set at €410,000, which are to be covered by a fixed government contribution of €132,000 that will supplement the 2013 surplus of €278,000.

Although variously described in the press as an arbitrative body, the term is inaccurate as the law does not allow the Ombudsman the authority to impose rulings, but rather assigns an out-of-court mediating role aimed at an amicable settlement that would ideally culminate in a mutually acceptable proposal. The role has been described by Ioannou as a “catalyst” for resolving disagreements in a “fair and reasonable manner.”

Interestingly, while Ioannou considers independent mediation by the Ombudsman’s office as “possibly the most effective” out-of-court dispute settlement effort, he does not believe it can provide sustainable answers to the NPLs question.

“Typically, NPLs create a vicious circle whereby banks’ liquidity is reduced, restricting their capacity to extend credit, and hence deepening the recession that created them in the first place,” he said, adding that NPLs pose a threat to financial stability. “The problem of NPLs can be addressed radically only through economic growth, funded from abroad.”

In an attempt to curb the rising number of NPLs, in January the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC) issued a ‘Code of Conduct’ and a ‘Directive on Arrears Management’ to financial institutions, describing the designated process for dealing with difficulties in repaying loans. Banks were urged to consider their customers’ predicaments with empathy and set up appropriate internal mechanisms to facilitate effective loan restructuring.

But reports of banks’ failure to adhere to the code and directive have already surfaced, and the Borrowers’ Association has reported threats and attempts to mislead the unsuspecting public. The CBC’s decrees appear to have had little – if any – effect.

“The Ombudsman’s mandate is premised on two pillars: one is the basic law, which deals with borrowers’ complaints against financial institutions, and the other relates to the mediation procedure that will entail the appointment of a certified and qualified mediator that will be able to catalyse striking a loan restructuring deal.”

A bomb threat was phoned in to the Nicosia District Court at 11.15 am yesterday, engaging police bomb squad technicians who confirmed that the phone call was a hoax, with the court given the all-clear to resume a little after 12 pm.

PENSIONERS will be paid an Easter allowance, according to a council of ministers decision, while the Grants and Benefits Service announced on Friday that the first payments can be expected around Easter.

The amount payable, as well as the eligible income bracket, the Service said, remains the same as last year, noting that people who applied last year need not reapply.

For single-person households, the eligibility income is capped at €6,500, while two-person homes have an income threshold of €9,750. The Easter allowance will be a one-off payout of €190.

The Service also said that the total income of all household members for 2013 will be taken into account.

According to the statement, those who retired prior to March 31, 2014 and satisfy the above income criteria are eligible but will need to apply for the Easter allowance until April 30, 2014.

POLICE in Famagusta district will issue on the spot ‘love fines’ next week as part of a campaign to raise awareness about the road traffic code.

The Famagusta police in collaboration with the police traffic department and the Famagusta Scouts will start the event next Wednesday at the Konstantia-Famagusta Bishopric at 10.30am.

Members of the police force and scouts will then go out to the municipalities of Paralimni, Dherynia, Sotira and Ayia Napa, issuing ‘love fines’ to motorists, while handing out information pamphlets on road safety.

The ‘love fines’ will focus on raising awareness on rules about seat belt use, wearing a helmet, keeping your hands free while driving, parking legally, and, following traffic signs.

The event will be held for the third year in a row, and is supported by the Reaction Youth Organisation for Road Safety and the Hellenic Petroleum company EKO.

By Stefanos Evripidou

TURKISH Cypriot negotiator Kudret Ozersay sounded unusually upbeat about the prospects of an agreement after meeting with his Greek Cypriot counterpart Andreas Mavroyiannis on Friday.

In a rare moment in the peace talks since they officially began on February 11, Ozersay said the two negotiators had a positive three-hour meeting.

Speaking on his return to the occupied areas, Ozersay said the two discussed matters relating to federal law and citizenship, the latter being a traditionally key topic of disagreement between the two sides.

“From the point of view of how this new partnership will come about and how the new states will be established, I can say it was an important meeting,” said Ozersay.

He told reporters he left the meeting feeling some issues that seem very difficult or insurmountable could be overcome.

“The meeting made me even more optimistic that we can find a way out. It was the longest and most productive meeting yet.”

There was also an understanding of what would follow, he said.

Ozersay and Mavroyiannis have been holding meetings for two months now in an effort to complete a ‘screening’ process of where the two sides stand on the various issues that make up the Cyprus problem and its eventual solution.

While Turkish Cypriot representatives argue that a deal could be done in a matter of months, their Greek Cypriot counterparts point to the divergent positions at the negotiating table, indicating an agreement is a long way off yet.

Ozersay said the two negotiators will go over four or five more issues next Tuesday to complete the ‘screening’ process where the two sides state their positions on the key issues in the talks.

On Monday, they will separately explore with the UN exactly how to proceed with the talks after the screening process.

“This is important to us,” he said.

Asked why he appeared more upbeat this time compared to his last meeting with Mavroyiannis, Ozersay referred to the ‘convergence document’ prepared by the UN that lists the convergences recorded in the talks between 2008 and 2012.

“The convergences document exists and is important.”

He hinted that yesterday’s meeting saw progress on this issue, adding that for Turkish Cypriots it was important not to lose all the work that’s been done in previous years of negotiations.

On coming to power, President Nicos Anastasiades refused to accept the UN’s convergence paper as an official document, instead referring to it as a ‘reference document’.

Aware that most of the convergences reached would remain, Anastasiades wanted to leave room for manoeuvre on a number of points that rankled sections of the Greek Cypriot community.

According to Greek Cypriot sources a week ago, in response to Anastasiades’ efforts, the Turkish Cypriots “completely unravelled” past convergences, creating a huge distance between the two sides’ positions.

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu held meetings on Friday afternoon with members of his side’s technical committees, including new members, to discuss their coordination.

Anastasiades briefed the main labour and teacher unions yesterday on the course of the peace talks.

SEK’s Nicos Moyseos said it was very important for the Cypriot people, a large number of whom are represented by unions, to be kept up to date on the talks so they can take a position in a future referendum.