Decision reserved on Bulgarian father’s appeal

A decision on an appeal by the Bulgarian father charged over the deaths of his two sons in Xylofagou against a refusal to grant him bail is expected within the coming days, his lawyer said on Tuesday. Yoko Marinov, whose children, aged eight and 10, were found dead inside a vehicle on June 28, has remained in custody while awaiting trial on two counts of causing death by a rash, reckless or negligent act. His appeal against the decision to refuse him bail was heard on Tuesday before a senior judge of the Sovereign Base Areas court at Dhekelia. Defence lawyer Christos Theodoulou said the proceedings focused heavily on whether there is an effective mechanism to locate and return a defendant to the SBAs if they are released on bail and subsequently abscond. Related Articles • Tragedy in Famagusta: two children found dead in car • Father, stepmother remanded after two boys found dead in car in Xylophagou • Boys in Xylophagou may have been playing in car before they died • Bail hearing for father accused over children’s deaths adjourned until Friday An SBA police officer gave oral evidence at an earlier hearing and was subsequently cross-examined by the defence. The appeal proceedings concluded at a separate hearing on Tuesday, with final submissions from both the defence and the prosecution. According to Theodoulou, evidence given by the prosecution witness demonstrated that channels of cooperation already exist between the SBA authorities and the Republic of Cyprus for locating, arresting and transferring individuals. Legislation already allows for return to bases The defence also argued that legislation exists in both the Republic and the SBAs allowing for a person to be arrested and returned to the Bases following a request by the authorities in the event of absconding. Theodoulou said this raised a wider question over whether difficulties in enforcement could justify continued detention when mechanisms for cooperation appeared to exist in practice. The issue, he said, went beyond Marinov’s individual case and could potentially affect other defendants held in custody within the SBAs. The defence argued that Marinov met the requirements to be released on bail and that appropriate conditions could be imposed to ensure his attendance at trial. The prosecution opposed his release. Following the completion of submissions, the judge reserved his decision without setting a formal date. Theodoulou said that a ruling was expected within the next two to three days. Marinov was previously refused bail after the court found that the risk of absconding could not adequately be addressed by the conditions proposed by the defence. His earlier appeal to be allowed to travel to Bulgaria for the funeral of his sons was denied at a previous court appearance. His two sons were found unresponsive inside a vehicle in Xylophagou on June 28. He was subsequently charged with two counts of causing death by a rash, reckless or negligent act. Marinov remains in custody pending the court’s decision, a trial is due to begin on November 30 should he plead not guilty.