CYPRUS: Cypriot brothers remain in Fiji in money laundering case

Two Cyprus nationals have been further remanded in Fiji custody charged with money laundering, attempt to obtain property by deception and possession of property suspected of being proceeds of crime.

The Cypriot brothers appeared before Justice Thushara Rajasinghe at the High Court in Suva.

Justice Rajasinghe asked the state lawyer Saif Shah to explain the case theory to the court.

Shah informed the court that the bank accounts from which the money was allegedly taken from were from South Africa, India and other overseas countries.

He further stated that a total of 293 alleged transactions were made through counterfeit credit cards and card reader machines.

Loizos Petridis and Cleanthis Petridis are alleged to have been involved directly or indirectly with transactions involving $95,590 that were proceeds of crime.

It is also alleged that the two attempted to dishonestly obtain $41,540 from Bank of the South Pacific and they also possessed $203,009 that may reasonably be suspected of being proceeds of crime.

The alleged incident occurred between December 12 -19 last year.

The Cypriot were arrested on December 19 2017.

The hearing was adjourned until August 28.