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Matsas Becomes Witness Instead of Prosecutor - New Adjournment in Thanassis Case

Published February 19, 2026, 14:09
Matsas Becomes Witness Instead of Prosecutor - New Adjournment in Thanassis Case

A significant development occurred during today’s court proceedings regarding the private criminal prosecution of the family of Thanassis Nikolaou: the family’s lawyer, Savvas Matsas, withdrew from the case to testify as a witness. This led to a new adjournment of the case for March 13th. The defendants, Panikos Stavrianos, Andreas Iatroupos, Nikos Sofocleous, Christakis Nathanail, and Christakis Kapiliotis, appeared before the Limassol District Court. Christakis Kapiliotis represented himself, without a defense attorney. Savvas Matsas’ withdrawal from the case involves legal aspects, as he had served as an independent criminal investigator in the Thanassis Nikolaou case. Mr. Matsas stated that he is withdrawing for two reasons, one of which concerns the other criminal investigator’s refusal to testify as a witness. The defense requested a new adjournment, citing the need to receive all the witness material. The court approved the adjournment for March 13th, issuing instructions for the delivery of the witness material and warning that there will be no further adjournment.