The trial of suspended Paphos mayor Phedonas Phedonos continues on Tuesday before the Permanent Criminal Court in Paphos, with the prosecution continuing to call witnesses in support of its case.

Proceedings are being held behind closed doors following a court ruling granting a request by the prosecution.

Senior Counsel of the Republic Mikaella Pasiardi is representing the prosecution throughout the trial before the Permanent Criminal Court. The case had previously been handled by the Paphos office of the Legal Service under state prosecutor Eirini Savva until the indictment was filed.

Phedonos faces five charges: rape, indecent assault against a woman, indecent assault by another act, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and administering a drug or other substance capable of stupefying or overpowering a person. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

After the prosecution presented its documentary evidence, it began calling witnesses, starting with members of the investigative team, as it seeks to substantiate the charges against the suspended mayor. Witness testimony is expected to continue on Tuesday.

According to the court’s schedule, the hearing is taking place over five consecutive sitting days, from July 27 to July 31. New dates for the continuation of the trial, likely in September, are expected to be set on Friday.

Defence lawyers Christos Pourgourides and Epameinondas Korakides had requested that the proceedings be held in public. However, the presiding judge ordered that the trial take place behind closed doors.

In its ruling, the court said that, given the nature of the alleged offences and the material contained in the case file, there was a clear risk of violating the complainant’s privacy and affecting her testimony through fear, anxiety and the possibility of social stigma.

The court also held that the defendant’s fair trial rights would not be compromised by excluding the public, and rejected the defence’s proposal that only the complainant’s testimony be heard in private, finding that sensitive personal information could also emerge during the testimony of other witnesses.