Decision on Marinov bail appeal expected within days

Dhekelia, Cyprus. A decision on an appeal by Bulgarian father Yoko Marinov against the refusal to grant him bail is expected within days, his lawyer said on Tuesday. Marinov is awaiting trial over the deaths of his two sons in Xylofagou.

Appeal hearing

Marinov’s children, aged eight and 10, were found dead inside a vehicle on June 28. He has remained in custody while awaiting trial on two counts of causing death by a rash, reckless or negligent act.

His appeal against the decision denying bail was heard on Tuesday before a senior judge of the Sovereign Base Areas court at Dhekelia.

Arguments over enforcement

Defence lawyer Christos Theodoulou said the proceedings focused on whether an effective mechanism exists to locate and return a defendant to the SBAs if they are released on bail and subsequently abscond.

An SBA police officer gave oral evidence at an earlier hearing and was later cross-examined by the defence. The appeal concluded at a separate hearing on Tuesday, with final submissions from the defence and prosecution.

Defence position

According to Theodoulou, evidence from the prosecution witness showed that channels of cooperation exist between SBA authorities and the Republic of Cyprus to locate, arrest and transfer individuals.

The defence also argued that legislation in both the Republic and the SBAs allows for a person to be arrested and returned to the Bases following a request by authorities in the event of absconding.

Theodoulou said the issue raised a wider question of whether enforcement difficulties could justify continued detention when cooperation mechanisms appeared to exist in practice. He said it could potentially affect other defendants held in custody within the SBAs.

The defence argued that Marinov met the requirements for release on bail and that conditions could be imposed to ensure his attendance at trial.