Suspects’ request for change of murder trial location denied

Defendants in the murder of Thanasis Kalogeropoulos requested to be tried at the Nicosia Criminal Court instead of Limassol, only to have their request denied by the courts, it was reported on Wednesday.

Since the request was denied, the hearing will continue as planned on February 8 at the Limassol court.

During previous hearings, the four defendants were taken to court in bullet proof vests in Limassol, and reported being harassed by Kalogeropoulos’ family members outside the courthouse.

The lawyers of the four defendants, aged 44, 41, 22 and 21, had requested that the proceedings be held at Nicosia Criminal Court, citing security reasons for themselves and their clients.

The proceedings before the Limassol court scheduled for January 23 were postponed pending the decision on the request of the defence lawyers, while after Wednesday’s rejection by the Supreme Court, the proceedings will resume as usual on February 8 (9am) in Limassol.

The four defendants, who are being held in custody at the prison, face a range of charges, the most serious being premeditated murder, while the 22-year-old also faces the charge of complicity after the commission of murder.

The 41-year-old and the 21-year-old are alleged to be the killers of Kalogeropoulos, while the 44-year-old is the owner of a mansion in Skarinou, where it is believed that the plan to murder the 55-year-old was organised.

Kalogeropoulos was murdered in Limassol in broad daylight on his way to his morning swim. Almost two days later, Alexis Mavromichalis, aka Alexoui, was murdered in Nicosia. The two are believed to have had gangland connections, however in Mavromichalis’ case, no one has been arrested or brought to justice.