Supreme court upholds removal of former priest from bar registry

On April 21, 2026, the Supreme Court of Cyprus dismissed an application from a former Greek Orthodox priest and practicing lawyer who sought to annul his removal from the bar registry. The applicant, a Greek national who arrived in Cyprus in 2002, had his name struck from the register on February 9, 2026, by the Cyprus Bar Association. The court ruled that it lacked the jurisdiction to review the request for Certiorari and Prohibition orders. The individual previously served a five-year prison sentence following a 2012 arrest at Larnaca airport, where authorities discovered 2,980 grams of cannabis in his possession. In addition to drug charges, his criminal record includes convictions for fraud, obtaining money by false pretenses, forgery, and illegal sale of burial plots during his tenure as a priest. The applicant argued that the bar association's decision violated his right to a fair trial and was issued without proper justification or authority. Despite these claims, the court maintained the validity of the bar association's decision regarding his professional conduct.