Appeals court overturns conviction for 2021 Arakapas wildfire

On August 11, 2026, the Cyprus Court of Appeal unanimously overturned the conviction of a 69-year-old man previously found guilty in connection with the devastating July 3, 2021, wildfire in Arakapas. The defendant had been serving an eight-year prison sentence, of which he had already completed three years. The catastrophic blaze resulted in the deaths of four Egyptian laborers and destroyed approximately 55 square kilometers of land across 10 communities in the Limassol and Larnaca districts.

The original conviction was based on circumstantial evidence, including the defendant’s presence at his orchard near the fire’s origin, the discovery of two lighters in his vehicle, and his reported actions after leaving the scene, such as notifying a kiosk about burning reeds. However, the appellate judges ruled that these circumstances failed to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, emphasizing that criminal convictions cannot be sustained by mere suspicion or conjecture. The court specifically criticized the legal reasoning of the lower court for lacking the necessary concrete evidence required for such a serious conviction, ultimately declaring the man innocent.