The Limassol Assize Court has issued a unanimous ruling finding all four defendants prima facie guilty in the murder case of Thanasis Kalogeropoulos. The decision follows lengthy proceedings during which dozens of prosecution witnesses testified and hundreds of exhibits were submitted to the court.
Court ruling on prima facie guilt
The Limassol Assize Court ruled unanimously that there is prima facie evidence against all four accused in relation to the killing of Thanasis Kalogeropoulos. The court found the defendants prima facie guilty on charges 1 to 10, charge 12, and additionally found the third defendant prima facie guilty on charge 13.
Among the offences for which prima facie guilt was established is the charge of premeditated murder.
Facts of the case and defendants
The murder of Thanasis Kalogeropoulos was committed on 30 October 2023 in a parking area on Limassol’s coastal avenue, in the Ayios Tychonas area. Four individuals are standing trial in connection with the case. They are currently aged 43, 46, 24 and 23 and have been held on remand at the Central Prisons since the outset of the proceedings.
Prosecution evidence presented to date
During the trial so far, a total of 75 prosecution witnesses have testified. In addition, 555 exhibits have been presented before the court as part of the prosecution case. Following the prima facie ruling, defence lawyers are expected to summon defence witnesses on behalf of the four accused.
Charges faced by the accused
The indictment is common to all four defendants and includes charges of conspiracy to commit murder, premeditated murder, possession, transport and use of category A and B firearms, possession, transport and use of explosive materials, arson of a vehicle and theft. In addition, the 23-year-old defendant also faces a charge of aiding and abetting.
Basis of the court’s decision
In reaching its decision, the court took into account circumstantial evidence presented during the proceedings. This included material from closed-circuit television systems, telecommunications data, videos from mobile phones and other testimonial evidence.
Defence position and next procedural steps
Regarding their stance going forward, defence lawyers informed the court that all four defendants will exercise their right to remain silent and do not wish to give sworn testimony or be cross-examined. Each defence lawyer will summon witnesses in support of their client, with the total number of defence witnesses expected to be ten, according to defence submissions.
The defence witness list is expected to include an expert, following the court’s approval of funding for this purpose. The expert evidence concerns genetic material linked to the first defendant that was located on a cartridge case at the crime scene.
After scheduling the order of witnesses, the court set the next hearing date for the continuation of the trial on 24 February and scheduled further hearing dates.