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 remained in prison since then. 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 challenge four European search warrants that the prosecution had secured from a Nicosia tribunal during 2024. Those warrants allowed investigators to retrieve material from German official records. The defence maintained that the issuing body had no authority to grant such orders and that Kunzel learned of them only after a considerable delay, which they argued deprived her of the opportunity to oppose the warrants and undermined the fairness of the process.
Justice Alexandros Panayiotou was not persuaded. He ruled against the defence, adding that the petitioner provided 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 proceed as scheduled.
Source: Cyprus Mail
Source: Cyprus Mail