Nicosia criminal court moves forward in central prisons case

The Nicosia Criminal Court has scheduled the commencement of the hearing in the central prisons documents trial, following the Legal Service's refusal to drop charges against five of the eight defendants. During the recent hearing, prosecutor Vasilis Bissas confirmed that the requests for the suspension of criminal proceedings filed by defendants four through eight were rejected, although he noted that the Attorney General reserves the right to review this decision in the future. The trial proceedings are now set to begin on October 29, with subsequent dates fixed for November 3, 5, 10, and 12.

During the session, the second defendant, Athena Demetriou, raised objections regarding missing evidence, claiming that the prosecution failed to disclose specific witness statements, search warrants, and attachments. Demetriou alleged that this material was intentionally withheld because it would support the defense's case. In response, prosecutor Bissas maintained that the complete witness file was delivered to the defense at the time of the case referral and offered to provide any identified missing documents immediately. All eight defendants, including the former prison directors, have entered pleas of not guilty to the charges brought against them.