The retrial of the case, which concerns the importation and possession of more than 15 kilograms of cocaine, for the purpose of distribution, the Nicosia Criminal Court began proceedings on Monday, with Giorgos Christodoulou, also known as “Zavrantona,” standing trial, while the proceedings focused on the defense’s objections regarding the legality of the police’s possession of the evidence.

It should be noted that Christodoulou had been sentenced in December 2022 to 22 years in prison. However, the Court of Appeals overturned the first-instance ruling, ordering a retrial of the case from scratch.

The first prosecution witness to testify was YKAN Sergeant Militsa Papa, who confirmed and stood by her testimony and described the events of January 16, 2019, when, following an operation in Lakatamia, Aristos Kyprianou and Giannis Andreou were arrested for possession of approximately 15 kilograms of cocaine.

As she stated, upon her arrival at the scene, she was informed of the arrests and observed that Andreou was inside the house and Kyprianou was inside his vehicle. According to her testimony, one package of cocaine was found in the yard of the house, with Andreou pointing to the spot and saying it belonged to him.

At the same time, 14 additional packages of a white substance wrapped in brown adhesive tape were found in a military bag located in the driver’s seat of Kyprianou’s vehicle.

During the proceedings, the seized packages were presented to the Court, along with the small bags in which the substance was stored after the General Chemical Laboratory completed its analysis.

The defense attorney, Christos Poutziouris, filed an objection, arguing that the evidence is “illegally” in the possession of the prosecution.

“It is the defense’s position that this evidence is in the possession of the prosecution unlawfully. At the conclusion of the previous case, the Court ordered the destruction of the evidence; nevertheless, they were never destroyed, and no motion was filed to modify or stay the order. This affects the defendant’s right to a fair trial and constitutes contempt of court.”

For his part, the representative of the prosecution, Vasilis Bissas, rejected the defense’s position, stating that “whether the police complied with the Court’s previous instructions is not an issue being considered at this stage of the proceedings,” adding that “the reasons why the evidence remained in the possession of the police must be heard, and there is no question of contempt of court or a violation of the defendant’s constitutional right.”

The Criminal Court noted that the previous case file contained an order dated June 25, 2020, authorizing the retention of the evidence, and allowed the proceedings to continue.

Mr. Poutziouris, in order to facilitate the proceedings, accepted the submission of the evidence, reserving the right to raise at a later stage the claim that it remains in the unlawful possession of the prosecuting authority.

Also presented before the Court were cell phones, documents from the General Chemical Laboratory, and a USB drive containing the results of telephone data analyses.

The defense filed a new objection regarding the USB drive, arguing that it was unaware of its contents and whether the prescribed procedures for accessing communication data had been followed.

During her cross-examination, Sergeant Papa stated that she did not participate in the arrests but was solely responsible for managing the evidence in the case.

The defense also requested that the records of all mobile phones that had been seized be submitted.

The case was scheduled to resume on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.

Source: CNA