Nicosia Court rejects bid to nullify trial for importing 15kg of cocaine
Nicosia Criminal Court has rejected a request to nullify the trial in the Christodoulou case. Next hearing set for 16 June.
Bid to nullify trial in "Zavrantona" cocaine case rejected
Nicosia Criminal Court rejected on Tuesday a defence request to nullify the trial of Giorgos Christodoulou, known as "Zavrantona", who faces charges of importing 15 kilograms of cocaine, according to the Cyprus Mail.
The court also announced that it would rule by the next hearing, scheduled for 16 June, on whether the defendant's lawyers will be granted access to three documents concerning the prosecution's main witness.
The prosecution's main witness is Giannis Andreou, with the nickname "Maronas". He was initially sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment in the same case, but after serving four years, he was granted a presidential pardon. The defence argued before the court that his release was conditional on him leaving Cyprus.
Christodoulou's lawyers are seeking access to the relevant documents, as they suspect that Andreou may have been given an incentive to testify as a prosecution witness.
Christodoulou was initially sentenced in December 2022 to 22 years' imprisonment. This conviction was recently overturned by the Court of Appeal, which ordered the case to be retried from the beginning. Lead defence counsel Christos Poutzioures argued that the case should be nullified and refiled, but the court rejected the request, citing the Court of Appeal's explicit decision for retrial rather than refiling.
Christodoulou remains in custody at Central Prison. At the previous hearing, his lawyers had requested his release, pointing out that four years had passed since his conviction was nullified. The court refused, finding that there remains a serious risk of flight and commission of further offences.
Source: Cyprus Mail