On October 16, the Nicosia Criminal Court will decide whether there is a prima facie case against Giorgos Christodoulou, also known as “Zavrantona,” to be summoned to enter a plea, following the conclusion on Friday of closing arguments by the prosecution and the defense.
The defense argued that the testimony of the prosecution’s key witness, Yiannis Andreou, also known as “Maronas,” is so contradictory and “illegal” that the defendant should not be called to enter a plea, while the prosecution countered that issues regarding the witness’s credibility are not examined at this stage but during the final evaluation of the case.
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During the proceedings, defense attorney Christos Poutziouris submitted a written brief and cited previous case law, arguing that the Court cannot overlook the fact that the prosecution’s key witness had adopted a specific version of events in a previous legal proceeding and later stated that that version was not true.
As he argued, this is not a case where it is merely necessary to assess the witness’s credibility at the end of the trial, but rather a case of testimony which, in the defense’s view, is so contradictory that it cannot, on its face, support a case.
Mr. Poutziouris also noted that the same facts had been presented in previous court proceedings, noting that the witness had at that time adopted a specific version of events, which he later retracted.
The defense also referred to the testimony of the case investigator and to the telephone communications presented before the Court. Mr. Poutziouris argued that, despite the examination of communications spanning a period of six to seven months, no message relating to drugs was found, while in a series of questions, the examiner referred to “Maronas.”
The prosecution also submitted a written closing argument. Its representative, Vasilis Bisas, stated that he would not comment at this stage on whether there is contradictory testimony, arguing that such claims are evaluated at the end of the proceedings.
As he noted, the testimony presented before the Court is not so contradictory as to prevent the case from proceeding, adding that corroborating evidence is not required at this stage.
Mr. Bisas argued that the case rests on the testimony of the prosecution’s key witness and that the question of whether he is ultimately credible will be determined during the final evaluation of the testimony.
The Court scheduled the case for October 16 at 9:00 a.m., at which time it is expected to decide whether there is a prima facie case and, if so, the defendant will be summoned to enter a plea.
At the same time, the Court ordered that Giorgos Christodoulou remain in custody until the next hearing, ruling that nothing has changed with regard to the facts that led to his detention.
Zavrantonas is standing trial again for a case involving the importation and possession of more than 15 kilograms of cocaine with the intent to distribute. In 2022, he was sentenced to 22 years in prison; however, in May 2026, the Court of Appeals overturned the conviction on the grounds of procedural irregularities and ordered a retrial.
Source: CNA
