The prosecution applied on Wednesday for the entire trial of suspended Paphos mayor Phedon Phedonos to be held behind closed doors, citing the need to protect the complainant and relevant legislation, as the case came before the Paphos Criminal Court.
Opening proceedings, the prosecution representative asked that the trial be conducted entirely behind closed doors, invoking among other grounds Article 32 of the Constitution and a range of victim protection legislation. She said she had prepared a written submission covering the relevant legal provisions, and that the indictment contained details of the case as well as the complainant’s name, which required protection.
The defence lawyer, Christos Pourgourides, said he would object to the application, arguing that at the current stage of proceedings the charges could be read out without any reference to the complainant’s name.
The court president asked whether the complainant’s name could be omitted from the present proceedings. The prosecution representative replied that the second charge described a specific act and that certain references could not be left out.
“We want to protect the victim. There are acts and details attributed in the charges. These are particularly sensitive matters,” she said.
The court president returned to the question, suggesting that reference to the complainant’s name could be avoided. Following submissions from both sides, the court adjourned briefly to consider the prosecution’s application.
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.
Case background
Phedonos was suspended from the mayoralty of Paphos in February 2026 after Paphos land developer Theodoros Aristodemou publicly accused him of raping a woman around ten years earlier and gave a statement to police. The alleged incident is said to have taken place in 2014.
Following an investigation by a specially constituted team that took more than 20 statements — including from individuals who held public office at the time — Phedonos was indicted on four charges: rape, indecent assault, administering a substance to stupefy with intent to commit a felony or misdemeanour, and assault causing actual bodily harm.