Court rejects closed hearing bid as suspended mayor Phedonos denies all charges

Local CrimePaphosTop News Court rejects closed hearing bid as suspended mayor Phedonos denies all charges Court Rejects Closed Hearing Bid As Suspended Mayor Phedonos Denies All Charges Relevant News Court rejects closed hearing bid as suspended mayor Phedonos denies all charges 24 June 2026 Larnaca DLGO gives Filanta block days to address dangerous conditions or face evacuation 24 June 2026 Prosecution seeks closed hearing for Phedonos trial while defence objects 24 June 2026 Ioanna Mantzipa 24 June 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber The Limassol Criminal Court rejected the prosecution’s application to hold the Phedon Phedonos trial behind closed doors on Wednesday, with the suspended Paphos mayor going on to deny all charges against him. The court ruled that the charges be read to Phedonos without reference to the complainant’s name. He denied all charges. The prosecution had opened proceedings by applying for the entire trial to be conducted behind closed doors, citing the need to protect the complainant and invoking Article 32 of the Constitution and victim protection legislation. The prosecution representative said the indictment contained details of the case and the complainant’s name, which required protection, and that certain references in the second charge could not be omitted. “We want to protect the victim. There are acts and details attributed in the charges. These are particularly sensitive matters,” she said. Defence lawyer Christos Pourgourides objected, arguing that at the current stage of proceedings the charges could be read without any reference to the complainant’s name. The court president agreed, noting that such a reference could be avoided, and adjourned briefly before issuing its ruling. Phedonos faces charges of rape, indecent assault, administering a substance to stupefy with intent to commit a felony or misdemeanour, and assault causing actual bodily harm. Case background Phedonos was suspended from the mayoralty of Paphos in February 2026 after Paphos land developer Theodoros Aristodemou publicly accused him of raping a woman around ten years earlier and gave a statement to police. The alleged incident is said to have taken place in 2014. Following an investigation by a specially constituted team that took more than 20 statements — including from individuals who held public office at the time — Phedonos was indicted on four charges: rape, indecent assault, administering a substance to stupefy with intent to commit a felony or misdemeanour, and assault causing actual bodily harm. Read more: Suspended Paphos mayor Phedonos faces life imprisonment charges as rape case heads to court Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Larnaca DLGO gives Filanta block days to address dangerous conditions or face evacuation Prosecution seeks closed hearing for Phedonos trial while defence objects Mafia State probe: foreign investigator in the frame as Anastasiades hits back Shots fired at Paphos home in early morning attack Cyprus tax crackdown nets €44m from 513 high-risk debtors Phedon Phedonos enters plea today as rape trial set for September Echoes from the future: The missing pieces in Cyprus’s emerging tech ecosystem Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.