Supreme Court denies petition from welfare officers in Stylianos Konstantinou death case

On July 17, 2026, the Supreme Court of Cyprus rejected a petition filed by two social welfare officers who are defendants in a criminal case regarding the death of 14-year-old Stylianos Konstantinou. The defendants sought prerogative writs of Certiorari and Prohibition to overturn an interim decision made by the Nicosia District Court on June 26, 2026. The District Court had previously ruled that statements made by the deceased minor to his teacher regarding alleged abuse could be admitted as hearsay evidence, rejecting an objection raised by the defense. In their application to the Supreme Court, the officers argued that the lower court had exceeded its jurisdiction and deviated from established case law. They requested that the District Court’s decision be suspended and the criminal proceedings halted. The Supreme Court ruled that the petitioners were essentially challenging the correctness of the lower court's decision rather than its legality. The court clarified that such disagreements regarding evidentiary rulings must be addressed through the standard appeals process rather than through the extraordinary procedure of prerogative writs.