Court rejects application over arrest warrant
The Supreme Court of Cyprus has rejected an application by a Greek national woman seeking to challenge a European Arrest Warrant issued against her.
The warrant, issued on February 17, 2026 by a judge of the Nicosia District Court, relates to a long-running family dispute involving a minor.
Woman held in Greece pending extradition
According to the ruling, the woman is currently in custody in Greece after a local court approved her extradition to Cyprus.
She has also appealed to the Areios Pagos (the Supreme Civil and Criminal Court of Greece), seeking to overturn that decision.
Dispute dates back over a decade
The case dates back to 2014, when the woman and a Cypriot man had a child. Following their separation in 2016, the Nicosia District Court granted custody to the mother, with the child’s residence set in Cyprus.
The father was granted regular visitation rights throughout the week.
Allegations after mother took child abroad
Under the court order, the mother was allowed to travel with the child to Greece during specific holiday periods, provided she informed the father.
However, in July 2022, the mother took the child to Greece and did not return, prompting an investigation into alleged unlawful retention of a minor outside the Republic.
Legal arguments fail to convince court
The defence challenged both the original national arrest warrant issued in December 2025 and the European Arrest Warrant that followed.
The court acknowledged that a separate legal process is examining whether the national warrant was necessary and proportionate. If that warrant is annulled, the European Arrest Warrant would also be invalidated.
However, the court was not persuaded by arguments targeting the European Arrest Warrant itself. Claims of errors in the legal references were deemed insufficient, as the document clearly outlined the offence and relevant details elsewhere.
Application dismissed, parallel case continues
The court concluded that the alleged issue did not justify intervention under its exceptional jurisdiction to annul judicial acts. The application was therefore dismissed.
Proceedings continue separately regarding the original national arrest warrant.
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