Former Cyprus Football Association (CFA) president Giorgos Koumas pleaded not guilty to all 25 charges against him at Nicosia District Court on Wednesday.
Koumas faces 23 counts of incompatibility and two counts of money laundering involving the sum of €6,562,447. Proceedings began at 10:13, more than an hour and a half after the scheduled 08:30 start. His defence team said the court had notified them that proceedings would begin at that time; Koumas and his lawyers arrived shortly before 10:00.
His defence lawyers, Chris Triantafyllides and Marios Orfanides, also filed an application on Wednesday for leave to issue a writ of certiorari at the Supreme Court, seeking to annul a €3.4 million asset freeze order against Koumas. The order was issued on April 17.
The 23 incompatibility charges relate to Koumas’s roles at the CFA and his simultaneous shareholding in two companies, Triple AAA Productions Limited and Triple AAA Village Studios Ltd. While holding those positions, he is alleged to have contracted with various bodies for the production of televised matches, broadcasts and related services including livestreaming — activity that is prohibited under rules barring sports officials from deriving financial benefit from sport.
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