‘cos they sometimes bite back!
Back at the start of the year the owner of a local media company was killed in what appeared to be a contract killing. Such things are incredibly rare in Cyprus. This week the criminal trial of those alleged to be behind the murder begins.
Central to the trial is a TV host who worked for the deceased. The prosecution will claim that she organised the killing as revenged for being sacked, for losing her job. A secondary motive, a move to gain control of his media company, also plays a significant part in the case.3
The BBC are covering the story here.
Cypriot prosecutors have begun presenting evidence against a TV host, Elena Skordelli, accused of ordering the murder of a boss who sacked her. The glamorous 42-year-old media star is alleged to have paid for the contract killing of the millionaire head of the Dias media group, Andis Hadjicostis, who was shot in January.
The Cyprus Mail are calling the case the “Trial of the Year“. It is certainly an unusual case for a country with such low crime rates. Interestingly they are also implying that the trial is long-awaited. This for a case that began less than 6 months ago.
Hadjicostis, CEO of the family-controlled DIAS media group and Sigma TV, was gunned down on the night of January 11 just outside his home in Engomi, Nicosia. He was killed instantly by two shots – one to the chest and one to the back – most likely with a sawn-off shotgun which has not yet been found.
Aradippou Tales - A Life in Cyprus 