Nicosia Criminal Court dismisses defense objection in Abbakum Monastery case

On Monday, the Permanent Criminal Court of Nicosia rejected a defense objection regarding the admission of specific evidence in the Abbakum Monastery case. The defense had challenged the evidence, arguing that the legality of its acquisition was not proven and that the chain of custody was broken. Furthermore, they alleged that some items were obtained illegally and should be excluded from the proceedings. Senior District Judge Christos Raspopoulos delivered the unanimous decision, noting that these issues were previously addressed in an interim ruling on July 1. The court maintained that the current objection largely repeats arguments already examined and dismissed. The judge emphasized that the legality, authenticity, and chain of custody will be evaluated during the trial on the merits of the case. The court decided that a 'trial within a trial' was unnecessary at this stage to avoid fragmentation of the main proceedings.