Nicosia Criminal Court denies request to present thousands of prison documents in physical form

The Nicosia Criminal Court continued hearings on Tuesday in the trial involving the discovery of 48,432 documents from Central Prisons at the residence of a chief warden, Panagiotis Tsolias, in April 2025. Among the accused in the case are former prison director Anna Aristotelous, former senior officer Athina Dimitriou, and six former prison guards.

The court formally rejected a defense request to physically produce all 48,432 documents in the courtroom, with the prosecution arguing that such a requirement is not mandatory for evidence. During the proceedings, the court announced the results of a new recount of evidence seized from the defendant's home, confirming a previously noted discrepancy between the actual number of items and the figures recorded in official police lists.

Defense attorneys, including Kris Triantafyllides and Chloe Konstantinou, challenged police witnesses, noting that some officers involved in the cross-examination were not present during the original evidence seizure. The trial will continue as the court assesses procedural validity regarding the chain of custody and the accuracy of the gathered evidence.