Convict Rejected Hadjicostis Murder Contract

A 33-year-old convict testified in a Nicosia court that he was approached by two murder defendants to take part in the killing of Sigma TV chief Andy Hadjicostis.

George Christodoulou Zavrantona - who is serving 12 years for conspiracy to murder - said that defendant Andreas Gregoriou was offered 50,000 euros by defendant Tassos Krassopoulis to kill the chief executive of Sigma.

Gregoriou told Zavrantona that he could have a job working at Sigma after the killing, and persisted in the face of his rejection, offering him the job twice. Zavrantona rejected the contract killing - saying he was not interested, according to his testimony.

The witness said he has known defendant Gregoriou since 2004, and that Gregoriou was involved in nightclub 'protection' and lending money.

Four people are on trial for Hadjicostis' murder; Tassos Krassopoulis, his sister and ex-Sigma TV presenter Elena Skordelli, Andreas Gregoriou and Gregoris Xenophontos. All four have pleaded not guilty to the January 11th killing in which Hadjicostis (pictured right) was shot twice in the chest as he was getting out of his car to go to his Nicosia home.

The prosecution alleges that Skordelli was angry at Hadjicostis for edging her out of her job as a presenter at Sigma TV, particularly since she is a 21 percent shareholder in the station. She and her brother planned the killing to get rid of Hadjicostis and take over Sigma TV themselves, says the prosecution.

Skordelli, Krassopoulis, Xenophontos and Gregoriou have been held in jail since the beginning of the trial.