The unprecedented case that rocked Cypriot society in October 2020 has finally reached trial, more than five years after eight patients lost their sight due to complications following cataract surgery at a private Nicosia hospital.
Two ophthalmologists, both in their sixties, face eight counts of reckless negligent acts—one for each patient. These charges cite violations of Articles 236(e), 20, and 35 of the Penal Code. A conviction for this misdemeanour carries a sentence of up to two years in prison. The Penal Code explicitly states: «…misdemeanours are punishable by imprisonment not exceeding two years, or by a fine not exceeding one thousand five hundred pounds, or by both of these penalties.»
The two doctors entered pleas of not guilty in April 2022. Yesterday, the case was scheduled for a hearing before the Nicosia District Court.
The Delay in Court
Although the prosecution’s representative, Elena Constantinou, declared her readiness to call the first prosecution witness (an investigator from the Nicosia CID), the start of the hearing suffered a postponement. Defence counsel, Marios Spyrou, proposed a consultation with the prosecution to admit certain facts, arguing this saves valuable judicial time. Accepting these facts avoids sworn testimony from some of the 52 prosecution witnesses.
Public prosecutor Eleni Constantinou raised no objection. District Judge Pavlos Agapitos set a new hearing date for December 22 to formally declare the admitted facts, and scheduled trial dates within March for the main hearing.
Details of the Charges
The charges against the doctors involve eight individuals. One example from the charge sheet illustrates the alleged offence: «The accused, on October 13, 2020, in Nicosia at the … Private Hospital, while being Ophthalmologist Doctors, in such a reckless, hasty or negligent manner as to endanger human life or potentially cause bodily harm to another, performed a medical or surgical treatment on … from Nicosia, during which they used eye drops, saline solution, cassettes, and other consumables that were single-use, resulting in the aforementioned patient being infected with the multi-drug resistant strain pseudomonas aeruginosa and losing the sight of his left eye.»
Patients Suffered Vision and Eye Loss
The case reveals that two patients died between the time of the incident in October 2020 and the case’s registration in February 2022. Slow justice in Cyprus emerges again as a key issue; the incident happened in October 2020, and the Legal Service issued directives to register the case in February 2022.
In the interim, a year after the surgery, two of the eight patients had already passed away. Christoulla Strati died at age 79 on October 17, 2021. Her grandson, Father Raphael, spoke to Alpha television, linking her death to the cataract surgery. Father Raphael stated: «Since the death certificate tells me multi-organ failure and heart failure, I can very well draw the conclusion and say that this incident and the infection that was there affected her vital organs.»
Ms. Strati lost the sight of her right eye after the operation and had the eyeball removed. Father Raphael vowed: «I will vindicate all eight of them. As long as I live and breathe, I will not allow anyone, from the first to the last, to say that these people are not entitled to justice.»
The eight patients—four women and four men—sustained the following injuries, according to the indictment:
One male patient lost sight in his left eye.
One male patient lost sight in his right eye and had the eyeball removed.
One female patient lost sight in her left eye.
One male patient lost sight in his right eye and had the eyeball removed.
One female patient lost sight in her left eye and had the eyeball removed.
One female patient lost sight in her right eye and had the eyeball removed.
One female patient lost sight in her left eye.
One male patient lost sight in his right eye and had the eyeball removed.
The fact that five years after the incident, the trial has not even begun reignites public discussion about the overall slow pace of justice in Cyprus. Official data indicates significant delays even in organised crime cases. A recent analysis by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime notes: «The judicial system in Cyprus faces significant challenges in prosecuting organised crime cases… The lack of judges and the increase in cases have further burdened the system, resulting in low efficiency.»
