A court in Cyprus has made important decisions in the case of a 49-year-old German woman. She is accused of selling property illegally in northern Cyprus. The court allowed a changed police statement from the woman to be used as evidence. The defence team strongly disagreed with this. The prosecution also got permission to present more testimonies. This also faced strong opposition.
The main accusation is that the woman sold properties. These properties belonged to Greek Cypriot people. The sales happened in the northern part of the island, which is occupied by Turkey. The woman's statement was taken after her arrest in 2024. Whether this statement could be used has been a big argument in the trial. An earlier hearing said the statement could be used. However, parts of it had to be removed. The prosecution wanted to use this edited version.
The defence lawyer, Sotiris Argyrou, was very against the changed statement. He said it was very different from the original. He explained that his client did not get to check the new text. She could not say if it was correct. The judge, Nikolas Georgiades, did not agree with the defence. He said their objections were not valid. The judge confirmed the document was checked carefully. It followed the court's earlier instructions. Therefore, the court allowed the prosecution to use a copy of the changed statement.
The prosecution then asked to call more witnesses. This was to help their case. This request caused more objections from the defence. Mr. Argyrou was worried about when these new witnesses would speak. He said he was not told about them before. He asked if this would be unfair to his client. The prosecution said the new testimony would not change their main arguments. They also said it would not harm the accused's rights. The trial would still be fair.
The court's decision to allow the changed statement and more witnesses is a big step for the prosecution. They have successfully passed a difficult step for their evidence. However, the defence's continued objections show the ongoing legal arguments. They are trying hard to question the prosecution's methods and evidence. These court decisions will affect the trial's future. The court plans to continue looking at the evidence. This is even though the defence still has doubts. The final decision will depend on all the evidence presented.