The Nicosia Criminal Court has ruled that the prosecution has established a prima facie case against Giorgos Christodoulou, known as "Zavrantonas", in connection with the case involving 15 kilograms of cocaine discovered in 2019.
The ruling was issued as part of the retrial ordered after Christodoulou's previous conviction was overturned earlier this year.
Conviction overturned in 2026
Zavrantonas was sentenced to 22 years in prison in December 2022.
However, in May 2026, the Court of Appeal annulled the conviction due to an issue concerning the composition of the trial court and ordered the case to be heard again.
The current proceedings are being conducted before a differently constituted Criminal Court.
Key witness at centre of proceedings
As in the original trial, the testimony of prosecution witness Yiannis Andreou, also known as "Maronas", featured prominently in the case.
Andreou was convicted in connection with the same drug case before later providing a statement identifying Zavrantonas as a person allegedly involved in the importation of the cocaine.
Witness credibility challenged
The credibility of the prosecution's key witness became a major point of contention.
The defence pointed to alleged inconsistencies between Andreou's earlier and later statements, arguing that these undermined his reliability.
Prosecutors, meanwhile, maintained that the issues raised by the defence did not prevent the establishment of a prima facie case at this stage of the proceedings.
Trial to continue
The court emphasised that a finding of a prima facie case does not amount to a finding of guilt or a conviction.
The retrial will now continue, with attention turning to the defence case and the witnesses expected to be called by Christodoulou's legal team.
