Nicosia Criminal Court begins retrial of George Christodoulou regarding drug trafficking charges

The Permanent Criminal Court of Nicosia has begun the retrial of George Christodoulou, also known as 'Zavrantonas', who faces two charges related to the possession and intent to supply 15 kilograms and 16.4 grams of cocaine. The alleged offenses occurred on January 16, 2019, in Nicosia. During the proceedings on Tuesday, Christodoulou pleaded not guilty to both counts. The court has scheduled the substantive hearing for June 29 and 30, 2026. Prior to this, the court resolved a dispute regarding the defense's access to documents concerning the key prosecution witness, Yiannis Andreou, known as 'Maronas'. The court deemed the defense's request satisfied after confirming that they had received the witness's presidential pardon application and inspected other relevant documents. The defense had previously raised an abuse of process claim, arguing for a stay of proceedings following an appellate court decision that annulled the previous trial due to improper court composition. The prosecution maintained that the appellate decision specifically mandated a retrial with a new court composition.