A big court case for former prison officials has been delayed. Anna Aristotelous, the former director of Cyprus's central prisons, and her deputy, Athena Demetriou, will now appear in court on February 9th. The defence teams asked for the delay. They said they are not ready for the trial.
The lawyers need important papers to help their clients. They have not received all the necessary documents yet. This has caused problems for the trial. It makes people question if the court is being fair. The defence needs to understand the charges to prepare their case.
The trial includes eight people. Aristotelous and Demetriou are among them. Five prison workers and one police officer are also on trial. Their lawyers cannot help them properly without the documents. Aristotelous's lawyer said it is important for accused people to know why they are accused.
Some documents were given in strange ways. Some lawyers got witness information on USB sticks. This is not the correct way to share legal papers. Many different kinds of documents are missing. These include interviews, reports, and even basketball rules.
Another lawyer, representing Demetriou, plans to object. He thinks the case should not be in the criminal court. His argument is that the prison officials followed orders. Therefore, the state should protect them, not prosecute them.
The trial seems to be about complaints made in 2022. The defence suggests the trial might be revenge for those complaints. The next court date is February 9th. Everyone is waiting to see if the defence's problems will be fixed.