Five suspected members of the crime ring believed to be behind the January kidnapping of ferry firm owner Pericles Panagopoulos yesterday were remanded in custody after testifying before an investigating magistrate. Apostolos Petrakis, Giorgos Katsaganis, Manolis Skarlatos, Yiannis Theodorakis and Polytimi Georga were all remanded yesterday afternoon. Another seven suspects are to testify by Monday, after which the magistrate will listen to the depositions of suspects currently in jail. In a related development, Justice Minister Nikos Dendias ordered the suspension of a jail warden on Crete who is believed to have pushed for the transfer of Panayiotis Vlastos, the suspected crime-ring boss, from Trikala to the island.

The 25-year-old daughter of Christos Karavellas, a former Siemens Hellas executive who is wanted in Greece for questioning in connection to bribery allegations, was released from custody in Korydallos jail yesterday after posting 30,000 euros in bail and agreeing not to leave the country. The 25-year-old was detained on money-laundering charges last month but the council deemed that she should be released as she had returned from abroad to answer to the charges. Her father is believed to be in Germany.

The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) yesterday sent 10 private schools in Greece the results of examinations sat by their students for the two-year International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma following a preliminary investigation by the IBO into claims that a teacher leaked this year’s test papers to his pupils in exchange for payment. One private school, where the implicated teacher used to work, did not receive the exam results. IBO officials said that further investigation would be necessary to get to the bottom of the alleged scam.

The 25-year-old owner of a Pro-po betting store was shot dead late yesterday outside his store in the coastal suburb of Alimos, police in Athens said. According to witnesses, two men approached the victim as he was getting into his car and opened fire. They then fled on foot. Police believe the attack was a settling of accounts.

The Health Ministry today announced that 31 new cases of swine flu had been detected in Greece in the past 48 hours, taking the country’s total to 196. The new cases of infection with the H1N1 virus include 10 British nationals who recently arrived in Greece from the UK.

A 32-year-old inmate of a jail in Nafplio, in the Peloponnese, died suddenly in his cell early yesterday, prison staff said yesterday. There was no indication of foul play, according to police, who did not confirm suspicions of suicide.

A lone robber wearing a cap and glasses held up a branch of the Hellenic Post (ELTA) in the central town of Patras yesterday, netting some 3,000 euros after threatening cashiers with a gun. The robber fled on a motorcycle being driven by an accomplice.