Top court blocks German realtor's attempt to stop Nicosia fraud case

The island's highest court has refused a plea by a German property broker to overturn a procedural decision and put her criminal case on hold.

Top court blocks German realtor's attempt to stop Nicosia fraud case

The island's highest court has refused a plea by a German property broker to overturn a procedural decision and put her criminal case on hold.

Eva Isabella Kunzel, a real-estate professional from Germany, was taken into custody in July 2024 and has stayed behind bars ever since. Prosecutors allege she promoted and marketed properties belonging to Greek Cypriot owners in the Turkish-held north without legal authority.

Her lawyers went before the Supreme Court to attack four European search warrants that the prosecution had secured from a Nicosia tribunal during 2024. Those warrants allowed investigators to pull material from German official records. The defence maintained that the issuing body had no power to grant such orders and that Kunzel learned of them only after a long delay, which they said robbed her of the opportunity to oppose the warrants and undermined the fairness of the process.

Justice Alexandros Panayiotou was not convinced. He ruled against the defence, adding that the petitioner gave no satisfactory reason for failing to seek an extension to file an ordinary appeal.

Because the extraordinary petition failed, the criminal trial in Nicosia will move forward as scheduled.

Source: Cyprus Mail

Source: Cyprus Mail