A NICOSIA district judge was yesterday furious when she was again forced to postpone a hearing for a case that has been ongoing since 2008.
Judge Olga Loizou made it clear that the only reason she had agreed to adjourn the trial till next week was out of respect for the Supreme Court and Assize Court.
The defendants are four men aged from 33 to 50. The four are accused of charging the Cyprus Dairy Industry Organisation overtime they allegedly did not work during their employment there in 2005. According to the charges the defendants billed the semi-government organisation £800, £400, £550 and £400, respectively.
Two of the four defendants continue to work at the organisation to this day while two others have left.
The judge heard that one of the defence lawyers for the four accused had been unable to appear in court yesterday due to another hearing at the Supreme Court.
Loizou wanted to know why the lawyer had not informed her before they had agreed on yesterday’s date. The same lawyer would also be absent from today’s hearing as he was also the defence at an ongoing trial in the Assize Court, she was told.
The judge made it clear there was a reason she asked the defendants every time if they were free on a certain date.
“Please your honour, the (other) trial is at a critical point,” the first defendant pleaded with the court.
“Critical?” she asked.
“Serious,” he replied. The man looked nervous at the thought of the trial continuing without his defence in the room.
“The court can’t postpone because of other obligations of the lawyer,” said Loizou.
“I will facilitate your lawyer this time out of respect for the other courts,” she added.
The judge made it clear she would not allow the case to be postponed indefinitely and next time the trial would continue with or without the lawyer’s presence.
She said the case had been dragging on since March 2008 and made no effort at trying to mince her words when she told the other defence lawyer present she was not interested in what he had to say.
At some point the judge, who has a reputation for taking firm but fair decisions, appeared to be on the verge of losing her temper as the second defence lawyer kept interrupting her.
Loizou was also unimpressed when the prosecution said she would have to be out of town next week on another case and asked for another date. The judge queried why the Legal Services had sent her out of town and instructed her to be in her courtroom as she set four hearing dates for the first week of July.
“And then we’ll see how things will develop,” said Loizou.
The next hearing is on July 2.
