Under the Constitution of Cyprus, the judiciary is independent from the legislative and executive branch of the state. The judicial power is vested in the Supreme Court and subordinate Courts established by law.
The Supreme Court of Cyprus is the highest court, which functions both as an appellate court in criminal and civil matters and as a constitutional court. It is composed of thirteen judges, one of whom acts as the President. The Judges of the Supreme Court are elected communally by the President and the Vice President. Subordinate courts are composed of the Presidents of the District Court, Senior District Court Judges and District Court Judges, all of whom are appointed by the Supreme Court. Furthermore, the Supreme Court has original and appellate jurisdiction in admiralty cases. At first instance, the case is heard by a single judge of the Supreme Court. On appeal, the case is heard by a full bench. The Supreme Court in its appellate role is not bound by any determination on a question of fact made by the subordinate court; it has the authority to review and question all the evidence, draw its own inferences, receive or hear further evidence and provide any judgment or construct any order which circumstances may justify, including an order for re-trial.
To continue, there are six types of subordinate courts in Cyprus: the District Courts, the Assize Courts, the Rent Control Courts, the Labour Disputes Courts, the Military Court and the Family Courts. There is one District Court in each district of Cyprus; these District Courts exercise both criminal and civil jurisdiction. There are five District Courts in Cyprus and in their criminal jurisdiction, they can adjudicate on any criminal offence committed within their districts which has not been specifically assigned to the jurisdiction of the Assize Courts.
