COURTS - ONLY OLD CASES WILL BE TRIED FROM 26 OCTOBER

 Filenews 23 October 2020 -  byMichalis Hatzivasilis 

Courts change tactics and practices to hear old criminal cases that have been pending for more than four years. However, there are fears that this change will stack up new cases, particularly those relating to traffic offences and infringements of pandemic decrees.

Information from the "F" indicates that public prosecutors presenting cases before the District Courts have been notified that from next Monday, there will be no first appearances of new cases. That's to give the Courts time to hear cases pending from 2016 onwards. These cases mainly concern hearings, i.e. cases for which the accused have not admitted and are constantly postponed due to lack of judicial time.

This, as estimated by the Public Prosecutor's Office, will solve a chronic problem with delays in justice, however, it is estimated that it will create another, since new cases will be accumulated which will be rescheduled for 2021. As mentioned in "F", with this tactic, some cases that would be admitted and ended in a few minutes will now be postponed unknown for when. Such cases relate mainly to traffic offences and out-of-court offences which have not been paid, as well as cases relating to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as other minor offences. Cases - by dozens - involving violations of infectious disease orders are now registered in the District Courts, because they either challenge the complaint, or because they did not have time or neglected to pay the out-of-court. Many change their attitude and want to admit but now they will not be able to do so and will wait in another court session. The courts, at least until now, in cases of non-payment of an out-of-court mask do not impose an additional fine so as not to burden citizens.

As far as traffic out-of-court proceedings are concerned, the Courts have tried the cases from the very first instance when the defendant's answer was an 'admission', and now they will have to wait until next year. The parties concerned or their lawyers will be informed of the postponements of first-instance cases from the table posted in the Courts.

It is estimated that more than 50,000 cases are pending in Cyprus (for criminal offences) while for civil cases beyond eight years.