Cyprus issues arrest warrant for Russian whistleblower

A report in a Cypriot newspaper says that the source for murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia faces arrest if she goes to Cyprus in connection with a case that “at first glance appears unrelated”.

The Cyprus Business Mail reported yesterday morning that Maria Efimova Efimova discovered that Natalia Antoniou, an employee at the Limassol-based Costas Tsirides & Co L.L.C. law firm, “filed a complaint with the police against her in December, in her capacity as director of Fragrance Distribution, for allegedly stealing from the company.”

“After four years, did they now happen to have remembered this?” Efimova to the Cypriot publication. She was surprised that despite preparing company accounts in previous years there was never a complaint about her stealing.

Maria Efimova, a former employee of Pilatus Bank, was at the heart of the Egrant allegations.

Efimova fled the island along with her family to a yet unknown destination.

In August, a court had ordered her name to be placed on the wanted list after she had repeatedly failed to turn up for a court sitting.

The woman is the subject of two criminal proceedings in Malta. She is accused of defrauding Pilatus Bank and of having made false accusations against Superintendent Denis Theuma and inspectors Jonathan Ferris and Lara Butters.

“In November, all newspapers wrote that Malta issued an arrest warrant against me,” the whistleblower told the Cypriot newspaper, “But since then I have travelled to various European countries and asked police authorities if there is a warrant against me and nobody wanted to carry it out.”

Things took a nasty turn more than two weeks ago. “My father who lives in Russia called me to tell me that two persons came to our house and claimed that they are looking for me in Cyprus and issued a European or international arrest warrant,” she explained.