The Legal Service has come under scrutiny following the recent developments in the case of Thanasis Nicolaou. Attorney-General George Savvides stated on Thursday that the service has acted correctly in its handling of the case, a claim that has sparked outrage from Nicolaou’s mother, Andriana.
Speaking outside the Supreme Constitutional Court after the auditor-general’s suspension case, Savvides mentioned that he had briefed the president, who then appointed two independent investigators through a cabinet decision. “They must be allowed to do their job. I do not believe the Legal Service, at least at the time when we took over, has done anything which was not correct,” he said.
When asked about potential responsibilities concerning the Legal Service’s handling of the case, Savvides refrained from attributing blame, emphasizing the ongoing nature of the investigation. However, Andriana Nicolaou took to Facebook to express her discontent. “You promised us one thing in public, that you would be by our side and help truth shine. But your representative in court did the complete opposite,” she wrote.
Public Cases and Criminal Records Online
Andriana was referring to state prosecutor Xenia Xenophontos, who had requested the involvement of forensic pathologist Panicos Stavrianos in the death inquiry proceedings. The Nicolaou family opposed this move, as did the judge, who had previously ruled the death a suicide. “Was this your help?” Andriana questioned in her response to Savvides. “To keep this crime, the suffering torturous death of my child in the dark?”
For 19 years, authorities maintained that Nicolaou’s death was a suicide, a stance that was overturned earlier this month when a third inquiry ruled he had been killed by strangulation. This new finding has brought renewed attention to public criminal records and the importance of accurate court case lookup systems.
Judge Doria Varoshiotou criticized the state prosecutor’s intense line of questioning, which she deemed argumentative. The judge and prosecutor clashed multiple times, with Varoshiotou accusing the AG’s office of ignoring European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rulings on Nicolaou’s case. The Legal Service had insisted on accepting Stavrianos’ findings despite an ECHR decision deeming the initial investigation inadequate.
A protest has been organized for this Saturday outside the Legal Service, calling for justice for Thanasis Nicolaou. Scheduled to begin at 11am, buses are being arranged from across the country to transport participants to Nicosia.
This case underscores the critical need for transparent and accessible court search tools, enabling individuals to conduct a comprehensive criminal case search and access public cases and criminal records online. Such tools are essential for ensuring justice and accountability in legal proceedings.
