Suspended Paphos Mayor Phedon Phedonos appears before the Paphos Criminal Court today as his high-profile rape trial formally gets under way, with charges to be read and a plea entered.
Phedonos faces four charges: rape, indecent assault, administering a substance to stupefy with intent to commit a felony or misdemeanour, and assault causing actual bodily harm.
If he pleads guilty, the court will proceed directly to sentencing. If he denies the charges, the court will set a new hearing date at which the trial will begin with the calling of witnesses, according to legal sources.
The court was committed for trial by the Paphos District Court on April 21, when Phedonos also signed a €100,000 bail bond to secure his attendance.
A key procedural question to be settled today is whether the trial will be held behind close doors or remain open to the media and the public.
A source familiar with the case told Phileleftheros that the court’s ruling on this point would cover the entire duration of the proceedings, in line with standard practice — though the court retains discretion to order that specific hearings be held behind closed doors if the evidence presented is considered particularly sensitive.
The April 21 committal hearing was held behind closed doors at the request of the Law Office. Defence lawyer Pourgourides did not object, but said the defence would seek at a later stage for proceedings to be held in public, arguing that his client had been publicly humiliated.
The alleged rape dates to 2014, some 12 years ago. A special investigation team was set up to examine the case and is reported to have taken more than 20 statements, including, according to prior reporting, from individuals who held public positions at the time of the alleged offence. The investigators operated under conditions of secrecy.
