AN AMBASSADOR who was jailed this year after being found guilty of sexually harassing and indecently assaulting two of his secretaries yesterday launched an appeal at the Supreme Court.
Costas Papadimas, 52, protested his innocence throughout the trial at Nicosia’s Criminal Court, claiming that one of the secretaries was his mistress and that she had engineered the accusations against him after he had sought to end their affair.
The incidents took place between 2002 and 2005 in Stockholm, where Papadimas was ambassador.
During the trial, the court heard explicit accounts of harassment from the victims, Greek nationals Alexandra Zioga and Sofia Raptidou.
Papadimas was jailed for seven months on January 8.
Speaking during the first appeal session yesterday, Papadimas’ defence lawyer Efstathios Efstathiou told the Supreme Court judges: “The one key element of the whole proceeding was overlooked by the Criminal Court and that is that the testimonies of Alexandra [Zioga] were inconsistent.
“Her testimonies defied all logic because we would hear alleged accounts of indecent assault and then she would tell the court that she would also meet with the ambassador and his wife frequently out of work. Does that sound like a victim of indecent assault and sexual harassment?”
The victim had told the court that she had indeed met with the ambassador and his wife after working hours and that she, her fianc?, the ambassador and his wife would often go out to restaurants and cafes together.
The victim and her fianc? had even met with Papadimas and his wife during a holiday in Cyprus in 2005 and Papadimas and his wife were witnesses to her engagement.
The seven-month prison sentence imposed on Papadimas meant that the diplomat – who has also served as Cyprus Ambassador to Kenya – had to spend at least one month in the closed prison block at the Nicosia Central Prisons.
He has since been moved to the open block, which allows permission leave to certain inmates.
During his time in prison, Papadimas was put to work in the prison library.
The appeal continues on March 23, with State Prosecutor Cristian Kythreotou set to make her closing arguments.
