Criminal investigators are expected to deliver their findings today or by week’s end regarding the death of National Guardsman Thanasis Nicolaou, who died in Limassol in September 2005.
Criminal investigators Thanasis Athanasiou and Lambros Pappas, appointed by the Cabinet on May 14, 2024 with clear terms of reference, appear to have reached their conclusions and assigned responsibility based on available evidence.
As philenews previously reported, all information from the investigations and questioning suggests the investigators have concluded Nicolaou’s death resulted from criminal activity.
This finding is supported by various evidence examined, testimonies about incidents primarily within the military camp where the 26-year-old served, and the fact that Nicolaou had no reason to end his life, as had been claimed for years.
Based on assessments from questions posed to individuals called to testify or be interrogated, criminal responsibility is expected to be attributed to forensic pathologist Panikos Stavrianos, who conducted the autopsy and post-mortem on Nicolaou’s body.
Stavrianos had ruled out criminal activity, attributing the death to a fall from height.
The case was overturned more than 15 years later following an exhumation of Nicolaou’s remains, which revealed his death was due to strangulation, evidenced by a broken hyoid bone.
This finding was strongly disputed by both the forensic pathologist and the Law Office, as the inquest had followed a different line of inquiry than that of murder.
What remains to be seen from the criminal investigators’ report is whether responsibility will also be assigned to individuals who served either in positions at Limassol Police Headquarters or in the National Guard unit for neglect of duty.
This is because the former should have investigated the death as a crime and the latter failed to protect Nicolaou while he was in their custody.
Meanwhile, it is noted that the forensic pathologist’s investigative statement has not been signed, as he failed to appear after two written summonses.
According to his lawyer Adriana Klaidi, during his interrogation, the pathologist requested that investigators reconstruct Nicolaou’s bones to determine whether they were consistent with a fall from height, which was not done.
She added that her client did not come to sign his statement for two reasons: medical issues and because he had filed a complaint about one investigator’s behaviour during questioning.
She said his complaint is being examined by Nicosia CID, with several people already having provided statements.
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