Court to rule on prima facie case against Giorgos Christodoulou-Zavrantonas

The Nicosia Criminal Court is scheduled to issue a ruling on October 16 regarding whether a prima facie case has been established against Giorgos Christodoulou, known as "Zavrantonas." The defendant is being retried on charges related to the possession and trafficking of 15 kilograms of cocaine. The initial conviction against him from 2022 was overturned by the Court of Appeal in May 2026 due to procedural irregularities, leading to the current proceedings.

On Friday, the prosecution and defense concluded their final submissions. Defense lawyer Christos Poutziouris argued that the case should be dismissed without requiring his client to testify, citing the contradictory and unreliable testimony of key prosecution witness Giannis Andreou, known as "Maronas." Poutziouris claimed that the witness previously provided a different version of events which he later retracted. In contrast, the prosecution argued that issues regarding witness credibility should be addressed during the final evaluation of the case rather than at this stage.

The court has ordered that the defendant remain in custody until the next hearing. If the judges rule that a prima facie case exists on October 16, the defense will be required to call witnesses; if not, the charges will be dismissed, and the defendant will be released.