Court Grants Prosecution One Month in Central Prison Documents Case

The Nicosia Criminal Court granted the prosecution’s request for one month to decide on the issue of transferring documents requested by the defense of eight defendants in the case concerning official materials of the Central Prison discovered at the home of a senior prison officer.

The next court hearing is scheduled for March 10 at 09:00.

Earlier, the defense insisted on the immediate transfer of all materials and opposed granting additional time to the prosecution. The lawyers also raised the issue of suspending the proceedings or even terminating the criminal prosecution until the document review is completed.

The court, however, concluded that there were no grounds to suspend the case. It was noted that an order for compulsory transfer of the materials would be possible only in the event of a refusal by the prosecution to provide them. Since no such refusal had been recorded, the court deemed it justified to grant the prosecution additional time.

According to the court, the case concerns 48,432 documents, of which approximately 2,500 are classified as secret. The prosecution’s representative stated that unclassified documents would be handed over to the defense, while materials with restricted access may be examined without copying — in order to protect national security, attorney–client privilege, and the personal data of third parties.

The prosecution also indicated that some of the documents contain confidential medical information about inmates, prison maps, and records of communications between lawyers and their clients. In this regard, the police are re-examining the entire body of data to determine which materials may be made accessible.

The defense, in turn, stated that such an approach violates the defendants’ right to a fair trial and the principle of “equality of arms,” insisting on full disclosure of evidence before the start of the proceedings.

The court ruled in favor of the prosecution, emphasizing that the goal is to provide the defendants with as complete an understanding of the case materials as possible while complying with legal and security requirements.