Swedish fugitive Hans Jonny Uven, 49, and the two suspects who hatched his escape plan, were re-remanded in court for six days on Wednesday in Larnaca.

The ongoing case concerns Uven’s escape from a medical facility in the city, while under police guard in December.

The 44-year-old police officer, who had assisted him, has been implicated further, according to reports.
A previous eight-day remand order issued on December 31 by the Larnaca District Court against the three, including Uven’s lawyer, aged 54, expired on Wednesday.

The court issued the extended six-day remand after hearing further evidence incriminating the police officer and the lawyer.

The pair had been arrested in the early hours of Tuesday, December 31, at their homes in Larnaca, and were being investigated for assisting the escape of a person under lawful detention, conspiracy to commit a felony, transactions that constitute corruption and abuse of power.

Uven was first arrested on December 6 at Larnaca airport, under a European warrant issued by the Swedish authorities, for involvement in financial fraud amounting to €90 million, allegedly committed in his country.

He managed to escape while under police guard on the afternoon of December 22 from the clinic where he had spent 15 days after being admitted for chest pains and gastroenteritis.

Senior CID officer Andreas Andreou said aspects of the 49-year-old’s recounting of events had since been confirmed, as relayed by Philenews.

Uven previously testified that he had been proposed marriage by the lawyer, who had been introduced to him by the 44-year-old police officer, “in order to gain links to the Republic”.

According to police, during Uven’s hospitalisation the lawyer brought a priest in plain clothes to the clinic to marry them. Uven claims he had rejected the offer.

Investigators determined the claim to be true based on testimony secured, and evidence in the form of notes on how to perform a Catholic wedding, found at the lawyer’s home. Photos of the two bearing wedding rings had also surfaced.

As for the police officer, his involvement is believed to have begun with having made the acquaintance of Uven while he was being held prisoner at the Oroklini police station.

It seems the officer, who was embroiled in financial troubles, had propositioned the Swede to buy his house, in exchange for finding him the lawyer. He had also offered the Swede to rent his property and live there.

Uven’s allegations that the police officer had purchased phone cards and shoes that were delivered to him by the lawyer at the clinic were confirmed.

Police have since gained access to the three conspirators’ phone conversations, recorded on WhatsApp and Telegram. According to this evidence Uven’s shoe size had been messaged to the lawyer, as well as a request to the police officer to take back his laptop and three mobile phones that police had confiscated.
Uven allegedly asked the 44-year-old police officer for data to be redacted from the seized electronics.

Uven’s messages regarding the transfer of €10,000, and on another occasion €5,000, to the lawyer were also seen. He had also transferred a limited-edition car to her, which he had said was worth €100,000.
Police were able to confirm the vehicle had been bought in August in Limassol for €75,000.

Meanwhile two other officers had been suspended by the Chief of Police, Themistos Arnaoutis, pending an internal investigation.

One is the special contracted police officer who was guarding Uven during his escape while the other is a Larnaca police director who appears to have assigned the former the job, despite the fact that it was not a customary part of his duties.

After Ulven’s December 21 escape, police launched a manhunt, and he was located and arrested at noon on December 23.