Cyprus court postpones media boss murder trial until September

Nicosia Assize Court decided on Thursday to postpone the hearings in the murder case of Andis Hadjicostis, managing director of Dias Media group and Sigma TV, last January. The court decided that the trial will resume on September 9 and 10 and that on August 25 it will reschedule the hearing process, since by then the extradition process of the fourth suspect in the murder case, Gregoris Xenofontos, who was arrested in Moldavia, will be clarified.
Three suspects – Andreas Gregoriou, Anastasios Krasopoulis and his sister Elena Krasopouli Skordelli – are facing charges of premeditated murder. All three deny any involvement in the murder. Xenofontos is the fourth suspect who fled overseas after the murder was committed on January 11 and police issued a European and international arrest warrant.
According to the prosecution lawyer Elena Kleopa, Xenofontos, who was arrested in Moldova on June 15, appeared before a court in Moldova on July 12 and the decision for his extradition is expected to be heard on July 23.
Kleopa said that it is possible that the Moldovan court might ask for further clarifications and not issue a decision on July 23. In addition, if the court decides to issue an extradition order, Xenofontos has the right to appeal, something that will delay the process by ten more days.
The defence lawyers did not object to the prosecution request. However, they asked for an extra hearing in August, in order to reschedule the process, something that was accepted by the court.
Hadjicostis was murdered on the evening of January 11, outside his house in a quiet Nicosia neighbourhood as he was getting out of his car having returned from work.