The Court of Appeals overturned the conviction, acquitting the 69-year-old man who had been found guilty of the deadly fire that broke out in July 2021 in Arakapa and spread to severalin Limassol and Larnaca.
The Limassol Criminal Court had found the 69-year-old guilty of starting a fire next to his orchard on July 3, 2021, using a lighter, because he was annoyed by the presence of reed beds. It came as a surprise that, even as the flames engulfed his village, he had gone to the neighboring village of Eptagonia and sat in a café to drink coffee.
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However, the Court of Appeals ruled that the 69-year-old’s conviction had been based on suspicions and speculation.
“The existing testimony and the findings of the trial court led only to a presumption of his involvement. There is therefore a lingering doubt, on the basis of which he should be acquitted.”
Court of Appeals
The 69-year-old, who never admitted to the charges, had served three years of the eight-year sentence imposed on him by the Limassol Criminal Court.
Watch the report by Christoforos Nestoros:
