A group of Greek Cypriot businessmen are suing a company in the occupied north of the island as well as soft drink makers Pepsi, seeking compensation to the tune of €140 million for the illegal and unauthorised use of their factory since 1981, according to reports on Thursday.

Daily Politis reported that the lawsuit was filed a few days ago with Nicosia district court. The paper saw a copy of the lawsuit claim, filed by Greek Cypriot companies CyproFruta and Cyprus Farming Ltd – the owners of which owned the factory in the north, located in now occupied Famagusta.

Since 1981, a company in the north by the name of Ektam Kibris Ltd has used the factory and the land to manufacture Pepsi brand products – including Pepsi, Pepsi Max, 7UP and Mirinda.

The plaintiffs are suing 12 companies/individuals – including PepsiCo, its global headquarters based in New York, the United States.

Others sued include Pepsi’s subsidiary in Istanbul, Turkey, as well as executives of Ektam Kibris and of associated companies.

The plaintiffs demand €135 million for loss of use of their business and for loss of profits, plus €9 million in rent – covering the period from 1981 to September 30, 2026.

According to Politis, in February of this year the Greek Cypriot businessmen had sent via their lawyers a notice to the 12 companies and individuals, calling on them to cease and desist from using the factory in the north.

The notice was ignored, after which the plaintiffs filed the lawsuit.

Founded in 1981, Ektam Kıbrıs is the exclusive bottler and distributor for PepsiCo International products in the north.

The Erkman family owns 25 per cent of the business. Tamek Holding AS, controlled by Melih and Gungor Sipahioglu, of Turkey, used to own the rest.

Semsi Kazim Erkman, Sibel Erkman, Eda Erkman, Gungor Sipahioglu and Infima Holding (formerly Tamek Holding AS) are named in the lawsuit.

A policeman is accused of using a deceased man's identity to take over his residence in Florida and is facing several charges in the case.

The post VIDEO: Florida Policeman Who Found Dead Man Accused of Taking His Identity and Home appeared first on Breitbart.

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Stylianos Constantinou, who took his own life at age 14, was a severely neglected boy who would never have turned out well, a witness in the ongoing trial told the court on Thursday.

Taking the stand was a special educator assigned to Stylianos during the 2012 to 2013 academic year, when the boy was in third grade.

The teenager committed suicide in 2019.

In the trial held at Nicosia district court, the witness said that though Stylianos at the time attended third grade, his learning skills were equivalent to the first grade.

“He could barely read, but was trying hard,” the educator said.

The hearing turned emotional when the witness, reading out a statement he had made to police in 2020, began sobbing.

“Based on his [the boy’s] overall state, it was a given that he would not turn out well, but I never thought he’d do what he did,” the witness said, referring to the suicide.

“Instead, I thought that one day he’d open the door and leave home.”

The witness described Stylianos as neglected, tired and isolated from his classmates.

Whenever the session with the educator came up, they would find Stylianos asleep at his desk.

“We’d try to wake him, he just wouldn’t wake up, and then he’d tell us he was tired as he was up until 11pm working at the farm.”

The boy would never do his homework, telling teachers he had no time because of his chores at the family farm.

Stylianos looked depressed and sullen, the witness said.

“He did not get to experience childhood.”

As to the boy’s poor physical state, the witness said Stylianos had dirty fingernails and hair, and used to smell badly.

“His skin was covered with dark spots, his hair was matted, his smell…you just couldn’t bear it.”

The boy would come to school with torn shoes and soiled clothes.

Regarding the family situation, the witness said Stylianos’ mother had told him of heated arguments with the father, who allegedly was a heavy drinker, had extramarital affairs and would not give money to the family.

The witness never met the father, who never got in touch with him to ask about the boy’s school performance.

On one occasion, following an argument in the family, Stylianos left the house and spent the entire night in a field. This happened in May 2013, the witness recalled.

On another occasion, the mother took the children and went to stay with her parents in Kokkinotrimithia for a number of days. Because she was unable to take Stylianos to school, located in Ayia Varvara, Stylianos would miss classes.

The court set the next hearing for Friday, when the witness will be cross-examined.

There are 11 defendants in total, facing charges ranging from physical/mental abuse to negligence.

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Larnaca interest groups as well as MPs were stunned to hear on Thursday that management of the marina cannot be directly assigned to the Ports Authority, throwing a spanner into redevelopment plans.

Up until now, management of the town’s port and marina, for the purposes of redevelopment, had been understood to be under the Ports Authority (CPA).

But in parliament, it emerged that management of the marina cannot legally be assigned directly to the CPA, as it is the property of the state. As such, said an official from the attorney-general’s office, the only option is to launch an open tender – in which the CPA could bid.

By contrast, the port itself is the property of the CPA, and therefore the authority may continue managing it.

Transport Minister Evi Tsolaki acknowledged the legal quagmire, but assured attendees of the government’s intention to proceed with the project overall.

She recalled that in 2024 the government terminated the €1.2 billion port and marina concession agreement with Kition Ocean Holdings due to the consortium’s failure to renew a mandatory financial letter of guarantee.

A representative of the CPA noted that the road map for the redevelopment concerns both the port and the marina.

Nevertheless, he argued, completing one of the components does not depend on completing the other – suggesting that the planned works for the port could go ahead in the meantime.

Weighing in, the head of the Larnaca district local government organisation (EOA) called for legal clarity on the status of the project.

Angelos Hadjicharalambous said that during a prior meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides and the former transport minister, the government had given the impression it was committed to the project.

Likewise, the deputy mayor of Larnaca complained about the legal confusion, which would create more delays for a project that is hugely significant for the coastal city.

Nikos Gregoriou, a representative of the PEO trade union, said the port must remain under state management, warning against any thoughts at privatisation.

Opposition MPs also asked why the government had not come clean earlier on the legal aspect.

In July this year, the CPA had unveiled a roadmap for a €415 million redevelopment programme for the port and marina envisaging phased investment over the next two decades.

The overall programme extended to 2045, with the master plan expected to be completed by 2029.

The largest component concerns the port, where investment of around €205 million is planned through to 2045.

A further €190 million has been allocated for redevelopment of the marina land and adjacent areas between 2027 and 2036.

The roadmap envisaged hotels, restaurants, office space, recreation facilities and a conference centre, with most commercial projects expected to be undertaken by private investors.

The CPA would undertake responsibility for infrastructure, maintenance and strategic management, while commercial and tourism developments would be financed largely through private investment under the overall planning framework.

According to the roadmap, the strategic objective is to bolster Larnaca’s role in shipping while reconnecting the waterfront through continuous public access between the marina and port.

That roadmap now appears to be in limbo.

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