A man convicted of murder and attempted murder in the US and serving his sentence in Cyprus has been denied early release by the Parole Board.
Its decision was upheld by the Administrative Court which said the convict must remain in prison until he has served at least 25 years in jail.
The man was sentenced to two life sentences (one 25 years to life and one seven years to life) by a California court for premeditated murder and attempted murder in December 1995.
The court ordered that the two sentences should run consecutively. Under an international agreement the man, who is a Greek Cypriot, was transferred to Cyprus to serve his sentence here.
The US Justice Department informed the Cypriot authorities that under US law, the earliest he can be released on parole is November 10, 2020 by which time he will have served 24 years, 10 months and eight day in jail.
Two years ago, the convict lost an application to the Supreme Court to be released on the grounds that he was being illegally held. He then applied to the Parole Board which rejected his application. He appealed, but the Administrative Court ruled that the man was serving consecutive life sentences and could not be released until he has served at least 25 years.
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