Appeals court rulings on pretrial detention in Cyprus

The Nicosia Court of Appeal issued two separate rulings regarding pretrial detention. In the first case, dated July 15, 2026, the court upheld the detention of a man accused of stealing a generator worth 50,000 euros from a diagnostic center, citing a risk of reoffending due to four other pending criminal cases. The defense argued that the court overemphasized these pending cases and ignored the defendant's compliance with previous bail terms. In the second case, the court rejected an appeal by a 44-year-old businessman charged with defrauding an elderly person of tens of thousands of euros. The appellant claimed a lack of judicial impartiality and violations of his right to liberty, but the court dismissed these arguments, stating that existing detention procedures were lawful and in line with the European Convention on Human Rights. The court also clarified that reading the formal indictment is not required at the committal stage. Both defendants remain in custody awaiting their respective trials.