Nicosia, Cyprus. Police said insufficient evidence has been gathered to prosecute suspended Paphos mayor Phedonas Phedonos over alleged domestic abuse of his wife, as media outlets published documents they said constitute evidence of the alleged crimes.
Police decision and legal service review
Police representative Marina Christodoulidou said on Wednesday that, after the completion of the investigation, the file was placed before the legal service, which determined the existing evidentiary material was not sufficient to present the case to court, according to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA).
Media reports and potential reopening of the investigation
Newspaper Phileleftheros reported that police intend to reopen their investigation after receiving documents from news website Reporter.
Reporter published what it said were documents from the Nicosia general hospital’s accident and emergency unit listing injuries suffered by Phedonos’ wife, Louiza Andreou, as a result of domestic abuse in 2017. The documents appear to include Andreou’s personal details and references to a “reported beating,” a “skull injury,” and list her “main symptom” as “beating by spouse.”
Reporter also published x-ray images it said were taken of Andreou after the alleged incidents of domestic abuse.
Christodoulidou told CNA that police have received the documents and images and will evaluate them.
Separate rape case expected in court
Christodoulidou said she expects a case regarding alleged rapes committed by Phedonos to be filed to the Limassol district court “in the coming days,” following widespread reports that the legal service has issued instructions for a prosecution to proceed.
Origins of allegations and response
Allegations of domestic abuse against Phedonos surfaced after social media personality Ioanna Photiou, known by her alias Annie Alexui, said she held documents related to Andreou’s admissions to the Nicosia general hospital in 2017 which stated she had been “beaten” by Phedonos.
Andreou has denied the accusations against her husband, writing on social media that “my family is being subjected to a coordinated attack”.
What do you think the police evaluation of the newly published documents could mean for the case?