Nicosia court rules Zavrantonas must answer cocaine charges again
Georgios Christodoulou Zavrantonas must answer charges over alleged possession of 15 kilograms of cocaine after an appeal overturned his 2022 conviction and led to a retrial.
Nicosia, Cyprus. The criminal court in Nicosia ruled on Friday that Georgios Christodoulou Zavrantonas must again answer charges concerning his alleged possession of cocaine weighing 15 kilograms. The decision follows an appeal ruling in May ordering a retrial.
Retrial follows challenge to court composition
Zavrantonas received a 22-year prison sentence in 2022 in the cocaine case. When the appeal court ordered a fresh trial in May, his lawyer, Christos Poutziouris, argued that changes to the judicial panel meant the original conviction had not been delivered by the court that should ordinarily have heard his case.
After Friday’s ruling, Zavrantonas is expected to enter his plea. According to the Cyprus News Agency, he will give an unsworn statement instead of evidence under oath.
Previous prison sentences
Zavrantonas, now 49, has several earlier convictions. In 1999, he received four concurrent prison terms: 12 years for homicide, six for carrying a pistol, seven for using a pistol and two for possessing explosives without a licence.
A conviction in 2005 for cultivating a Class B drug with intent to supply resulted in a seven-year prison term. In 2010, he received an eight-year sentence for conspiring to commit murder and a four-year sentence for conspiring to commit a felony.
In 2014, before the original cocaine sentencing in 2022, he received further prison terms: five years for possessing explosives without a licence, four for causing grievous bodily harm and seven for transporting a firearm.
This news item was generated automatically by Cyprus Inform from publicly available materials. Report an error →