Supreme Court rejects appeal of former priest turned lawyer convicted of drug charges

On April 21, 2026, the Supreme Court of Cyprus rejected a petition from a former priest who sought to overturn his removal from the Registry of Lawyers. The petitioner, a Greek national who arrived in Cyprus in 2002, was previously sentenced to five years in prison in 2012 for possessing 2,980 grams of cannabis and for two fraud cases. Following his conviction, he was defrocked by the Holy Synod in 2013 and released from prison in 2015 after receiving a presidential pardon. After his release, he changed his surname and pursued a legal career. The Cyprus Bar Association removed him from its registry on February 9, 2026, citing false representations regarding his background. The Supreme Court ruled it lacked the jurisdiction to grant the requested Certiorari and Prohibition orders, suggesting the petitioner pursue his case in a different court. The petitioner had argued that the Bar Association violated his right to a fair trial and failed to provide proper justification for his disbarment.