The court in Limassol has ordered the prosecution to give all witness information to the defence teams. This is for the Thanasis Nicolaou case. The case has had many delays. This is because of problems with sharing information. Defence lawyers said they will use these delays. They plan to challenge the case before it starts. This means a difficult legal fight is expected. The court made this decision after defence lawyers shared their worries. They said they could not prepare well for the court dates. They mentioned a lot of evidence. They also think the prosecution is hiding things.
This important case is about covering up the real reason for Thanasis Nicolaou's death. He was a soldier who died in 2005. Five former police and government workers are accused. They face charges like planning to stop justice. They are also accused of being careless and lying. The defence is very unhappy. They have waited a long time for the evidence. It is over 5,500 pages. Lawyers say this delay hurt their ability to defend their clients. Their clients have faced unfair public attention.
Another problem is that the defence wants to stop Savvas Matsas from being a prosecutor. Matsas was an investigator before. The Attorney-General removed him. The defence pointed out this change. They also mentioned Matsas shared information with the media. They believe this makes him unfair. They think his past actions raise questions. These questions are about fairness in the case.
The court listened to the defence's complaints. It ordered the prosecution to give all the evidence. Defence lawyers will get digital copies. One defendant, Christakis Kapiliotis, will get paper copies. He was a former police chief. The evidence must be given within ten days. The court knows the case is old. It also knows the charges are serious. The next court date is February 19. This date will likely focus on these problems. The defence strategy suggests they will question everything. They want to look closely at the prosecution's case.