Court overturns conviction of 69-year-old man in fatal Arakapas fire case

The Cyprus Court of Appeal overturned the conviction of a 69-year-old man who had been sentenced to eight years in prison for the fire in the Arakapas area in July 2021, which claimed the lives of four workers. The court ruled that his guilt had not been proven beyond reasonable doubt.

The decision was unanimously reached by a three-judge panel on 11 August — more than three years after the initial conviction was handed down.

The Court of Appeal overturned both convictions related to the fire: for causing it and for lighting an open-air fire without a permit on the same day. The Limassol Permanent Criminal Court had previously sentenced the man to eight years and one year in prison, ordering the sentences to run concurrently.

The fire started on 3 July 2021 in Arakapas and spread within a few hours to at least ten communities, including Odou, Akapnou, Eptagonia and Dierona. The blaze destroyed 44.49 square kilometres of land. The following day, the burned bodies of four Egyptian workers who had become trapped by the spreading fire were found in the Odou area.

The Court of Appeal noted that there was no direct evidence linking the man to the start of the fire. The prosecution relied solely on circumstantial evidence.

This included his presence in a garden shortly before the fire started, access to the site where the fire was believed to have originated, two lighters found in his car, and certain aspects of his behaviour after the incident.

The court stated that these circumstances could raise suspicions or indicate possible involvement, but did not provide the degree of certainty required for a criminal conviction.

The court paid particular attention to the experts’ conclusion that the fire was «most likely» caused by an open flame. The judges stressed that this was only a probability and that a conviction cannot be based on assumptions.

As a result, the Court of Appeal found the original conviction unfounded and acquitted the man of both charges related to the fire.

However, a separate conviction for burning grass in the open air without a permit between April and July 2021 was upheld. The man was sentenced to six months in prison for that offence.