€800,000 Contract Killing: Former Police Officer with Dubai Links Allegedly Ordered Bomb
A former police officer is alleged to have ordered the placement of an explosive device in a businessman's vehicle via video call from Dubai. Investigations by the Deputy Attorney General's Office continue, with further arrests not ruled out.
Former Police Officer Behind Alleged €800,000 Contract Killing Against Businessman in Cyprus
New details about two wanted men located in Dubai are emerging in the case of the alleged €800,000 contract killing against businessman Giorgos Xiourouppas. According to Dialogos, citing information published in Fileleftheros, one of the two wanted men is a former police officer with reported close connections to a criminal network operating in Dubai.
These individuals are alleged to have engaged the authorities in the past in both Cyprus and Greece in organised crime cases.
Statement of the 36-Year-Old Bulgarian
According to what the 36-year-old Bulgarian, a former employee of Xiourouppas, is said to have stated, the former police officer approached him using the pseudonym "A". During a video call from Dubai, in which the 36-year-old participated following contact with the first wanted man, the former police officer is alleged to have tasked him with placing an explosive device in the businessman's vehicle.
In return, according to the same statement, he was promised financial assistance for his daughter, as well as arrangement of his lawful residency documents in Cyprus.
"The Police Are Theirs"
The 36-year-old also claimed that the first wanted man, who is alleged to have cooperated with the former police officer, attempted to reassure him by saying that "the police are theirs". He also promised to arrange his residency documents, as he himself had been deported from Cyprus in 2014.
Investigations Ongoing — Further Arrests Not Ruled Out
The investigative team of the Deputy Attorney General's Office continues to gather witness material. Additional statements have already been taken from individuals in the professional, social and family circles of the suspects.
Investigators are still searching for another person, who is believed to have delivered the second detonator to the 70-year-old suspect. Further arrests are not ruled out. The expected statement from the person through whom Xiourouppas was informed of the murder plot against him is also considered significant.
Cryptocurrencies and €400,000 Advance Under Investigation
In parallel, the authorities are examining the financial dimension of the case. At the centre are transfers in cryptocurrencies totalling approximately €13,767, which the 36-year-old is alleged to have received from the first wanted man, as well as the alleged advance payment of €400,000 for execution of the contract.
To analyse the transactions, judicial orders are expected to be required for disclosure of bank accounts. Should the relevant details be located abroad, procedures for international judicial cooperation will need to be activated.
Source: Dialogos