A woman from Kakopetria under investigation for practicing sorcery for monetary gain is currently not in police custody, the Cyprus Mail learned on Thursday.
The case came to light when a police informant – posing as a client – asked the alleged sorceress to use her ‘magic’ to help her – the client – consummate a sexual relationship with a man.
The alleged female sorceress had previously advertised her services in a video, where she claims she can use her skills to make a man develop sexual desires for a woman in whom he’s not otherwise interested – provided the customer pays in advance.
When the alleged sorceress asked the particular customer for money, the customer refused. According to the customer, she was then threatened by the sorceress’ partner.
The same witness also told police she saw a woodshed which the sorceress was using as a “shrine.”
On this evidence, police secured a search warrant for the premises. The search discovered a series of items: fox bones; a glass skull with snakes, see-through bags containing human hairs with name tags; a ram’s skull with horns; a witch’s hat; a deck of tarot cards; and a black piece of cloth depicting a Pentagram.
Police seized the evidence.
As the items also included a skull-shaped cup containing cash – banknotes and coins – police also had tentative evidence of money transacted.
The suspected sorceress – who has not been arrested or charged – subsequently filed a petition with the supreme court seeking to have the search warrant quashed.
She argued that she is free to practice her faith, which she said revolves around the Mexican death goddess known as ‘Santa Muerte’.
The court acknowledged this point, pointing out the Cyprus constitution guarantees freedom of worship to all faiths, provided the rituals are not secret.
However, the woman’s lawyer also argued that the case be dismissed altogether as there is no evidence of monetary transaction. Under the law, practicing magic, sorcery or fortune-telling is a crime if monetary gain is involved.
The lawyer said that, since no money changed hands in this case – the customer refused to pay – then that proved a lack of evidence for monetary gain.
The supreme court judge was not convinced, and in a decision this week he upheld the search warrant which had been granted to the police by Nicosia district court on September 18.
Investigations are ongoing.
The relevant section in the criminal code states that whoever is found guilty of practicing sorcery, exorcism, fortune-telling or pretending to possess apocryphal knowledge, and does so for monetary gain, is liable to imprisonment of one year.
In Cyprus, the landmark case relating to sorcery is known as ‘Gounasir Fida v Τhe Police’ dating to 1967. The defendant, a 30-year-old woman, had scammed a customer out of 60 Cyprus pounds – a considerable amount at the time – by promising to use her ‘magic’ to protect the customer’s husband from disease.
