Supreme Court dismisses appeal by German national regarding property fraud case

On Monday, the Supreme Court of Cyprus dismissed an appeal filed by a German national accused of fraudulent real estate transactions and illegal use of land in the occupied Kyrenia area. The defendant had sought to challenge an interim decision by the Nicosia Criminal Court regarding the validity of four European Investigation Orders (EIOs). These orders were previously issued by the Nicosia District Court to obtain evidence from German authorities and were admitted as exhibits in the ongoing criminal trial. The defense argued that the District Court lacked jurisdiction to issue the EIOs, claiming that only the Criminal Court handling the case had such authority. The Criminal Court rejected this argument, stating it lacked jurisdiction to review the validity of decisions made by another court of first instance. The Supreme Court upheld the refusal to grant a prerogative writ of certiorari, effectively confirming the initial ruling. The prosecution noted that the defense failed to exercise its right to appeal the EIOs within the statutory 10-day period provided by Law 181(I)/2017. The case remains under trial at the Nicosia Criminal Court.