DECISION ON CRIMINAL CASE – ACQUITTAL BASED ON CROSS-EXAMINATION OF PROSECUTION'S TESTIMONY

In a recent decision of the Larnaca District Court, the Court granted summary judgment in favour of a property owner in proceedings concerning the unlawful occupation of commercial premises following the termination of a lease due to non-payment of rent. The Court held that the respondents had no real prospect of successfully defending the claim, rejecting jurisdictional objections, assertions of lawful possession, and proposed counterclaims as lacking evidential or legal substance. It was further found that the continued occupation of the premises without payment constituted unlawful interference with the applicant’s property rights.

The case was handled on behalf of the Respondent by Phoebus, Christos Clerides & Associates LLC, and afforded the Court the opportunity to rule, at the level of principle, on the conditions, limits and exceptional nature of pre-action disclosure in a field where — as expressly acknowledged in the judgment itself — no binding Cypriot case law has existed to date. It is expected that the decision will serve as a point of reference for future Cypriot jurisprudence and will guide both judicial practice and procedural strategy under the New Civil Procedure Rules.

Η αίτηση αφορούσε τον παραμερισμό απόφασης που εκδόθηκε σε βάρος του εναγομένου λόγω της μη παρουσίας του κατά τη συνέχιση της ακροαματικής διαδικασίας, παρότι αυτός εμφανίστηκε στο Δικαστήριο λίγα λεπτά μετά την έκδοση της απόφασης, εμφανιζόμενος αυτοπροσώπως.