Clarifications regarding documents in the Central Prison case that have not been handed over to the defense, as the Prosecution argues that they fall under the category of classified or confidential documents for reasons of public interest and national security, were submitted today before the Nicosia Permanent Criminal Court, in response to questions raised by the Court at a previous hearing, so that the Court could decide whether they would remain excluded from the evidence.
During today’s proceedings, Anna Aristotelous’s attorney, Christos Triantafyllides, stated that he had been informed that the Republic’s Attorney A’, Vasilis Bissas, who recently took over, along with Public Defender Theodora Papakyriakou, handled the case, maintains very close ties with the husband of one of the defendants, noting that this violates the rules of professional conduct for attorneys.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Mr. Triantafyllidis asked the court to examine the issue and to call on Mr. Bissa to state his position, arguing that, if such a relationship exists, it would undermine the proper administration of justice. “This constitutes an abuse of process by the Legal Service,” he added. He also referred to a previous communication between the representative of the Prosecution and this specific individual from the defendant’s immediate family circle.
In response, Mr. Bissas stated that his relationship with that individual was known to the Legal Service, which, as he said, had given him the green light to handle the case, without considering it to be a conflict of interest. “I do not take any action without the Legal Service being aware of it,” he added, noting that he does not agree with the defense’s reference to “very close ties.”
As he explained, he himself contacted the person in question in advance to inform them that he would be handling the case before the Court, so that there would be no surprises during the trial. He also noted that he never contacted any of the defendants for the purposes of the proceedings, but only their attorneys.
The Court stated that the points raised by Mr. Triantafyllidis constitute his own assessment and that no decision by a competent body finding a violation of ethical principles had been presented to it. It also added that it lacks the authority to conduct a disciplinary review of such a matter and that, based on the information provided, no issue has arisen that requires a judicial ruling.
Regarding the case documents, Ms. Papakyriakou stated that, following the questions posed by the Court at a previous hearing, the relevant documents were reviewed, and she provided the necessary clarifications, including regarding the numbering of certain documents.
Clarification was also provided regarding a document which, according to the Court, appeared to be a blank page. The Prosecution stated that this was a map of the Central Prison and presented the Court with a clearer copy of the document.
Mr. Triantafyllidis objected, stating that when the defense had asked the Court to examine the documents after the Prosecution had raised a confidentiality issue, it was referring to the specific document about which the Court had requested clarification. He argued that a different document was presented today and questioned how the defense could know that it was the same one.
The second defendant, Athina Dimitriou, who appeared in person, also agreed with Mr. Triantafyllidis’s objection.
The Court ruled that “the defense’s grounds for objection are unfounded,” noting that issues concerning the document’s content may be raised during the main proceedings.
Furthermore, it reserved the right to issue its interim decision on September 22, at which time he will determine whether the disputed documents that have not been handed over to the defense will be excluded from the evidence.
It should be noted that the defendants in this case are the former Director of the Central Prison, Anna Aristotelous, the former Deputy Director, Athina Dimitriou, five members of the correctional facility, and a former member, now a police officer.
The defendants face nine joint charges, including conspiracy to commit a felony and theft of government property—namely, 48,432 documents, 370 architectural drawings of the Central Prison, and 431 items containing digital data.
In addition, the indictment includes charges relating to abuse of authority in connection with the removal of documents, plans, and digital data from the prison, specifically to the chief warden’s residence. It should be noted that Anna Aristotelous faces an additional charge, as, according to the indictment, while serving as Director, she allegedly allowed classified documents to be leaked.
Source: CNA
