Four suspects arrested on suspicion of threats, extortion and membership of a criminal organisation were brought before Larnaca District Court under heavy security on Thursday, following a complaint by an elderly man.
As the 49-year-old — who is already facing charges in connection with the January 17 shootings — entered the courtroom, he began shouting, claiming the case against him was fabricated. “My family has been destroyed, it’s all a set-up. Enough with this injustice,” he called out, among other things, in the courtroom.
The four suspects are a 44-year-old businessman from Larnaca, a 42-year-old businessman from Nicosia, the 49-year-old, and a 45-year-old woman.
The complaint
According to what was heard in court, the complaint was filed on March 5, 2026. It relates to events beginning on December 1, 2021, when the complainant and his son-in-law each sold two properties to a company in Pyla — of which the 42-year-old Nicosia businessman is director — receiving €250,000 each.
A month later, the 44-year-old Larnaca businessman allegedly met the complainant and introduced him to an unknown person, claiming he had already agreed to sell the same two properties to a different buyer for €8.5 million, with a €250,000 commission outstanding.
The complainant said he grew alarmed by the unknown person’s behaviour, knowing the suspect businessman had influence over individuals known to police. Out of fear, he said, he paid the unknown person €40,000 in cash.
In 2022, two of the suspects allegedly persuaded the complainant to become a partner in a betting agency in Larnaca, through which they are alleged to have extracted €25,000 in cash from him, followed by a further €24,000.
The woman and the escalating demands
The complainant had known the 45-year-old woman since around 2020, and she allegedly told him she wanted to leave with him to Greece. According to the complaint, in 2022 the Larnaca businessman and the 49-year-old told the complainant they would arrange for him to have a romantic relationship with her.
The 49-year-old subsequently allegedly extracted €22,000 from the complainant, ostensibly for the woman’s sick child. On a second occasion, the woman and the 49-year-old allegedly demanded a further €22,000, purportedly for the two of them to travel to Greece together. Further sums were then allegedly extracted through threats — approximately €100,000 in total over two years, according to the complaint.
When the complainant refused a demand to give the woman €5,000, an unknown person allegedly fired a shot outside his home a week later. The following day, the complainant found a bullet outside his house and handed it to police.
Independent testimony and the agreement
According to independent testimony heard in court, the complainant received a total of €758,000 from the Nicosia businessman up to June 2022.
The Nicosia businessman subsequently sought to change the terms of their agreement, and the remaining suspects are alleged to have pressured the complainant into accepting the new terms and forced him to sign.
The Nicosia businessman also allegedly gave the complainant cheques, which were kept at the Larnaca businessman’s office.
Court proceedings are continuing, with some of the suspects’ lawyers contesting their clients’ detention.