A decision is expected at 9am on Thursday at the Nicosia Criminal Court over a request to release a German estate agent facing charges of property misappropriation, after more than 22 months in custody.
During Wednesday’s hearing before presiding judge Nikolas Georgiades, defence lawyer Sotiris Argyrou argued for her release, citing European Court of Human Rights case law on reasonable time in detention.
He told the court that proceedings have so far reached only the eighth witness, with a further 56 still to testify, stressing that the delays cannot be attributed to the defendant and that the timeline for concluding the trial remains unclear.
Defendant held at new prison wing
Argyrou added that in comparable property misappropriation cases, sentences have ranged from 15 months to five years, noting that his client has already spent more than 20 months in detention.
He also raised concerns about difficulties in accessing his client at the Central Prisons, as well as issues relating to the availability of a translator and the provision of evidential material in a language she can understand.
For the prosecution, Anna Matthaiou rejected claims of rights violations, outlining the conditions in the new wing where the defendant is being held.
She told the court that no formal complaints have been made regarding detention conditions, and that all defence requests for access to the prison have been approved. She further argued that the duration of detention remains within the limits set by relevant case law.
Money laundering
Matthaiou also pointed out that the defendant faces an additional charge of money laundering, which carries a significant penalty.
The court also heard testimony from Constantinos Anastasiou of the Cybercrime Sub-Directorate, who presented evidence from data extracted from the defendant’s mobile phone.
This included photographs, land maps and information from a land-measurement application found on the device. The defence raised a number of objections, arguing that it had not been given timely access to the material.
The witness examination is set to continue on Friday at 10:30am.