Body Found in Cyprus Not Bulgarian, Lawyer Suspects Murder

Society | August 22, 2010, Sunday // 17:35
Bulgaria: Body Found in Cyprus Not Bulgarian, Lawyer Suspects Murder The Bulgarian national disappeared after falling into the sea around two nautical miles from the St Raphael coast in Limassol. File photo

The body, found floating off the coast of Ayia Napa in the Famagusta district of Cyprus, has not been recognized by the sister of the man, who was believed to be the victim.

According to preliminary information, the police in Cyprus believed that the body belonged to the 40-year-old seaman Georgi Shalapatanov from the Bulgarian Black Sea city of Varna, who was reported lost at sea near Limassol on August 8.

However, the lawyer representing the relatives of the seaman, Konstantin Parchev, has announced that Shalapatanov's sister did not recognize the body. He has also expressed his doubt that the man has drowned because he was a former diver.

“The body has not been identified. Georgi's sister gave a DNA sample in the hospital. She saw the body but she failed to recognize it,” Parchev told the Bulgarian Darik Radio Sunday.

The man has been on a cruise on the yacht of a Russian friend of his. The captain and the owner of yacht have been arrested and later release on a bail.

According to the lawyer, there have been serious discrepancies in the two men's testimonies.

“The yacht is not a fancy vehicle. The two men had a chance to react, they have thrown a buoy. It has not even been that dark. The incident happened between 6-7 pm. Georgi is an experienced swimmer and diver, so I, personally, suspect a murder,” Parchev said.

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Tags: Cyprus, Bulgaria, Varna, missing

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