Judges deny bail for Alexoui

A criminal court ordered Nicosia businessman Alexis “Alexoui” Mavromichalis to remain locked up pending trial, one day after he pleaded not guilty to charges in an attempted murder case followed by long arguments over bail.

Mavromichalis and inmate Miroslav “Rudolf” Balazovjech were arraigned on Thursday, with both pleading not guilty to charges in connection with an attempted murder of Panicos “Glykas” Panayiotou back in 2017.

But after Thursday’s long arguments during the bail portion of the arraignment hearing, a panel of criminal judges on Friday ordered the two defendants remain in jail pending trial, citing concerns that they could commit further offences.

Alexoui was also found to be a “flight risk” while the judges rejected the argument that the defendants could influence witnesses.

Defence attorney Andros Pelekanos, who represented Mavromichalis, had accused police prosecutors of not playing fair, calling on the criminal court judges to examine closely the evidence which he said was full of contradictory statements.

Glykas was shot multiple times outside his residence as he was getting out of his car in Nicosia’s Ayioi Omoloyites borough back in November 2017. He pointed investigators to a different suspect following the incident, but police say he recently named Mavromichalis as the mastermind.

Pelekanos argued that Glykas, the main prosecution witness in the trial, had made contradictory statements on multiple occasions, while raising questions over police conduct throughout the process as well as pointing to a feud between cops and his client.

The presiding judge said the panel heard arguments from both sides, citing the seriousness of the alleged offences.