Too much crime, not enough judges

THE LACK of judges and a dramatic increase in crime have created a huge backlog of criminal cases, forcing Nicosia Assizes courts to schedule hearings as far as four months ahead.

But as the Cyprus Mailhas learned, the problem is not limited to criminal courts and is far worse in the capital’s district courts.

Phileleftherosreported yesterday that criminal cases had recently accumulated to such a degree that serious crime cases referred to the Assizes are being scheduled for as late as March next year.

The backlog is set to create problems for the Legal Service in the current land scam case.

The service wanted to try all the cases in the same court, something would be practically impossible as things stand.

The prevailing thought at the legal service is to submit the cases at the Paphos Assizes.

But case accumulation is not only limited to the Assizes courts.

The situation at the Nicosia district court was much worse, insiders say.

A source within the courts told the Cyprus Mailthat the problem was the lack of judges, which was compounded by the dramatic increase in crime.

The source said a request for more judges had been approved by the government but approval of the necessary funds was still pending.

The district courts, which handle less serious crime cases, are faced with a huge bulk of work resulting in continuous pressure on the judges.

Two or three judges in Nicosia, assigned with the task of handling the least serious cases, are reportedly processing 80 to 100 cases in which a hearing is not required every day. In that way, they free up other judges to try cases.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.