Newsroom
More than 21 years after her son was found dead beneath the Alassa bridge, Andriana Nikolaou was due to give evidence Tuesday in the criminal case her family brought against five people. Instead, the Limassol District Court heard arguments over who held records from the investigation and gave her more time to finish her written testimony.
The lawyers prosecuting the case on behalf of the family asked for the postponement so Nikolaou could complete her statement. Defense lawyers objected, saying the delay was unjustified and asking the court to protect the defendants’ rights. The prosecution countered that earlier delays stemmed from the defense’s pretrial objections. The court cleared the remaining hearing dates from its calendar and set the next hearing for Nov. 17 at 10:30 a.m.
Some of Tuesday’s hearing went ahead. A National Guard officer submitted records on Thanasis Nikolaou’s military service, along with witness statements and other material from military inquiries into his death. The court registry also located and filed records from all three inquests.
A dispute remains over the police files. A police representative told the court that investigators had turned over their records to the attorney general’s office. The defense sought material, including original photo negatives, reports and correspondence. A representative of the attorney general said all the material had already been given to the prosecution, a position the defense challenged. The court asked for a legal service representative who could give evidence under oath to clarify the matter at the next hearing.
Nikolaou was 26 and serving in the National Guard when his body was found on Sept. 29, 2005. His death was initially ruled a suicide. In 2024, a third inquest found he had been strangled. The family’s private prosecution focuses on alleged misconduct in the handling of the case. The charges include conspiracy to obstruct justice and neglect of duty.
The defendants are forensic pathologist Panikos Stavrianos, former Limassol police director Andreas Iatropoulos, former Limassol CID chief Nikos Sofokleous, former rural police chief Christakis Nathanael and former Platres police chief Christakis Kapiliotis. All five pleaded not guilty in September.
