Cyprus to extradite 45-year-old to UK for spying on British Bases

Local britainBritish BasesCrimeTop News Cyprus to extradite 45-year-old to UK for spying on British Bases Akrotiri British Bases Relevant News Cyprus to extradite 45-year-old to UK for spying on British Bases 21 July 2026 Dhekelia power fault triggers electricity cuts in various parts of Cyprus 21 July 2026 Police arrest five overnight in islandwide crackdown on crime and traffic offences 21 July 2026 Fanis Makrides 21 July 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber The Republic of Cyprus has begun extradition proceedings against 45-year-old Rashad Sultanov to the United Kingdom over alleged espionage against Britain carried out on Cypriot soil. British authorities are investigating the suspect over offences linked to the Akrotiri Bases, home to the Royal Air Force (RAF). The Republic had filed a case against Sultanov at the Limassol Criminal Court, and the Azerbaijani, who also holds a British passport, faced serious charges including alleged surveillance at the “Andreas Papandreou” air base in Paphos. However, the Attorney General, considering a request from British authorities, decided to suspend the case against him and pursue his extradition instead. The suspension took effect last Friday, and the defendant was immediately re-arrested on the basis of the British request. A hearing is set for today at the relevant court in Limassol, where Sultanov, through his lawyer Efstathios Efstathiou, will present his position. Iranian agent According to information available to this newspaper, UK authorities believe the 45-year-old Sultanov has a direct connection to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Based on the claims underpinning their request, he allegedly took visual material from within the Bases’ buildings and sent it to his “handler,” who is believed to be Azerbaijani-Iranian national Elsad Elsin Hajiyev, wanted under an international arrest warrant. Confidential information previously received by the Republic of Cyprus reportedly names Hajiyev as the «mastermind» of a network tasked with gathering information on Iran’s behalf, and alleges he recruited a number of agents, including Sultanov. Aircraft monitoring British authorities also believe Sultanov monitored and recorded the frequency of British fighter jet flights, passing the information to Hajiyev. If convicted of the offences he is suspected of in Britain, the 45-year-old faces up to 14 years in prison. The latest developments follow revelations first reported by this newspaper in early June. As previously reported, British authorities had issued an arrest and extradition warrant known in legal circles as a TCA (Trade and Cooperation Agreement) warrant, a mechanism the UK has used since Brexit to approach EU member states on such matters. Why not Cyprus philenews sought answers as to why authorities decided to extradite Sultanov to Britain rather than try his case in Cyprus, given that the Azerbaijani-British national had also allegedly conducted surveillance of Republic of Cyprus military installations. A person familiar with the work of the prosecuting authorities said that most of Sultanov’s alleged espionage activity related to the Akrotiri Bases, from which he is believed to have obtained a large volume of visual material. Intense interest Since Sultanov’s arrest in the Republic, British authorities have shown intense interest in the case. Shortly after his arrest on 21/6/2025, journalists from England travelled to Cyprus in an attempt to obtain information on the circumstances of his detection. In addition, revealed by philenews in November 2025, the United Kingdom, through the EU’s Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust), approached the Republic of Cyprus requesting the formation of a Joint Investigation Team to further investigate the case. These developments underline the interest British intelligence services have shown in the case. Appeal from Efstathiou An attempt by Sultanov’s defence to prevent his extradition to the United Kingdom should be considered a given. It is worth recalling that on 31/5/2026, his lawyer, Efstathios Efstathiou, lodged an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Sultanov’s defence maintains that the 45-year-old is unlawfully detained at Central Prisons and that violations of the European Convention on Human Rights occurred in his case. 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