The retrial of Giorgos Christodoulou, known as "Zavrantonas", continued before the Nicosia Criminal Court with testimony from the prosecution's key witness, Yiannos Andreou, also known as "Maronas."
Both inside and outside the court complex, police implemented extensive security measures from early in the morning, believing there was a risk to the witness's safety. Maronas has been enrolled in the witness protection programme for several years.
Officers from the Special Anti-Terrorist Squad escorted him to court, while members of other police units were mobilised as part of the operation designed to ensure that his testimony proceeded without incident.
The proceedings began with reference to Andreou's first statement, given on 21 January 2019, concerning the facts of the case, the transportation of the military bag containing 15kg of cocaine, and his arrest on 16 January 2019.
In that statement, Maronas accepted full responsibility for the drugs without naming any other person. He was subsequently convicted in July 2019 and sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment.
During yesterday's hearing, Maronas stated that he does not adopt the contents of his original statement.
According to his testimony, he asked his lawyer to arrange for him to give a new statement, something that was subsequently done on 24 June 2020.
In that second statement to police, Maronas said he was initially afraid to speak and had decided to "take everything upon himself".
In his revised testimony, he claimed that the person who instructed him to collect the drugs was "Zavrantonas". He then described how the two met and the relationship they developed following Christodoulou's release from prison.
He further alleged that the accused travelled to the Netherlands to arrange the purchase of the cocaine and that on 15 January 2019 he told him to "keep an eye out" because the following day arrangements would be made to collect the drugs.
It was also noted in court that Yiannos Andreou, known as Maronas, was released from prison on 11 February 2023 after submitting an application for a presidential pardon, which was approved.
Under intense cross-examination
As expected, given developments during the original trial that was later set aside, defence lawyer Christos Poutziouris, representing Christodoulou, subjected Maronas to intense cross-examination.
Questioning began yesterday and is expected to continue today.
Poutziouris focused heavily on the witness protection programme, arguing that Maronas' decision to alter his original testimony was the result of a deal intended to secure testimony against Zavrantonas.
When asked why he had decided to change his original statement and subsequently implicate Christodoulou, Maronas said he did so because the accused had promised to stand by him after his conviction and take care of his business but ultimately failed to honour that promise.
According to Maronas, that was the reason he changed his testimony.
Poutziouris pointed out that approximately 15 days after Christodoulou's conviction, Maronas submitted the application for a presidential pardon that was later granted.
The court also heard that following his release from prison, Maronas moved to the occupied areas, specifically to his home village of Kormakitis, where he currently resides.
Under persistent questioning from the defence, Maronas said that after his release it had been agreed that he would receive a new passport under a different name and surname, as well as €10,000.
The cross-examination of the prosecution's key witness is scheduled to continue today at 9.30am.
Today's proceedings are also expected to be lengthy, with the aim of completing the witness's testimony.
