CYPRUS: Six people including airport customs officers have been found guilty in a cigarette smuggling scheme that goes back many years and ended up costing the state at least €639,000 in unpaid tax revenue.
After two-and-a-half years of court hearings, six people were found guilty on Thursday for illegal possession of commercial goods, conspiracy to commit fraud, committing a misdemeanour, money laundering, bribing a public official, and neglect of service duty.
The case dates back to 2008, when authorities received a tip-off and searched the cargo of a Cyprus Airways aircraft upon arrival. Expecting to find drugs in what had been declared on paper as furniture, they instead discovered 25 kilos of cigarettes and cigars..
The judge said the customs officers were providing cover for the illegal imports, making huge profits in the process while the state was losing tax revenue from tobacco products, cigars, and cigarettes.
The accused involved in the smuggling scheme are customs agent and former pub owner Panicos Avraam from Larnaca, cafe owner Andreas Teratsias from Pera Chorio Nisou, customs officers Giorgos Garibaldinos and Costas Zaloumis from Liopetri and Larnaca respectively, civil servant Christakis Savva from Nicosia and cigar shop owner Vahe Zadoyian from Nicosia, and customs officer Costas Zaloumis.
The court also found that a number of irregularities had taken place during the clearance process, meaning that no proper checks were being carried out, fauduklent documents were being used, and taxes were not being paid to the state.
State prosecutors described in court how customs officers would hack into the computer system and delete data from “fixed” inspections.
The accused will appear in court on April 26, when their defence attorneys are expected to enter a plea bargain.
Five of the six men will remain in prison until their court date, while Teratsias whose offences are not as serious, is free on a €2,000 bail.
There is some criticism over the delay for this case, since it went before the Criminal Court in 2010 but got interrupted and was refiled in 2011 with the Larnaca District Court, but reports say the case had to begin anew in 2013 due to a large amount of evidence that needed to be examined.
