**Classified Prison Document Trial Adjourned Till Friday**
The trial concerning the theft of classified documents from the central prisons in Cyprus has been adjourned until Friday, following revelations that the prosecution had not submitted all required documents to the court. This development occurred during a hearing at the Nicosia criminal court on Tuesday.
Earlier in the proceedings, the court had mandated that prosecutors provide approximately 2,900 documents for review. This was to allow the court to determine which documents could be disclosed to the defense team. However, prosecutors had previously withheld these documents, citing their classified nature and the potential risks to public security and attorney-client privilege that could arise from their disclosure.
Despite the prosecution's concerns, the defendants have insisted on having full access to all relevant materials before entering their pleas. The court had previously ruled that it would take responsibility for deciding which documents should remain classified or secret.
During the latest hearing, it was revealed that around 440 documents had yet to be submitted to the court, despite prosecutors having delivered most of the required materials. The lead prosecutor apologized for the oversight, attributing the delay to miscommunication with the police, who are responsible for holding the documents.
The defense expressed frustration over this latest delay, emphasizing the importance of having access to all materials for a fair trial. However, the court accepted the prosecutor's explanation and granted additional time for the remaining documents to be delivered.
The trial is currently in the discovery phase, a pre-trial process where both parties exchange information and evidence to streamline the proceedings and minimize surprises during the trial. The eight defendants, who have yet to enter a plea, include Anna Aristotelous, the former director of the prisons, Athena Demetriou, the former vice-director, five prison wardens, and a former prison employee who is now a police officer.
The indictment against the defendants includes serious charges such as conspiracy to commit a felony, abuse of power, violation of official confidentiality, and theft by a civil servant. The case has drawn significant attention, particularly because the cache of documents in question was discovered in April 2025 during a police search related to an unrelated investigation. Approximately 48,000 documents were found, many marked as ‘confidential’ or ‘secret,’ and are believed to have been unlawfully removed from the prisons between November and December 2022.
Anna Aristotelous was serving as the director of the central prisons at the time of the alleged document removal before leaving her position in late December 2022. The upcoming hearing on Friday is expected to address the outstanding documents and may allow the trial to progress further, pending the court's decisions on the classification of the remaining materials.