Edinburgh Law School alumnus elected to the Supreme Court of Cyprus
Sat 3 April 2021
Former PhD student of the University of Edinburgh Law School, Nicholas Santis, has been sworn in as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Cyprus.
In an address given by President Nicos Anastasiades at the swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday 2 December 2020, Edinburgh Law School alumnus Nicholas Santis was named amongst four new supreme court justices - alongside Dora Socrates, Lena Demetriadou Andreou and Ioannis Ioannidis.
The newly appointed judges have been chosen to the highest office of Cyrus’ judiciary for their legal competence, sense of responsibility and integrity of character. They will be expected to uphold the constitution, the principles and values that govern the proper functioning of the rule of law, as well as defending citizens’ rights and maintaining a focus on anti-corruption.
Increasing the number of judges comes as part of a judicial reform plan to help achieve the faster resolution of disputes - a goal which has been top of the agenda in Cyprus’ jurisdiction in recent years. Progress has also included the modernisation of the structure and operation of the courts, establishing an academy for the training of judges, and promoting the digitisation of courts and electronic justice. New courts have been established too, such as the administrative court which has been operating since January 2016. There are also proposals for a maritime court and commercial court.
About Nicholas Santis
Nicholas Santis was born in Famagusta, Cyprus in 1962. After graduating from Acropolis Gymnasium in 1980, he went on to study Jurisprudence at the University of Oxford, where he was awarded BA Hons in Jurisprudence. Nicholas also holds a PhD in Law from the University of Edinburgh Law School. He is currently a doctoral candidate in DPhil Criminology at the University of Oxford, Faculty of Law.
As a professional lawyer, Nicholas practiced in a wide range of legal matters as a member of the Famagusta Bar Association. He participated as a member of the Committee on Judicial Reform, and the Rules Committee. He was a Trainer Judge in the Cyprus School for Judicial Training, and President elect of the Cyprus Judges Association for three consecutive terms until his appointment as Supreme Court Justice.
Nicholas has written legal articles which have been published in Cypriot and international journals. He is the co-author (with the now deceased Takis Eliades, ex-Justice of the Supreme Court) of a book on evidence law, titled ‘The Law of Evidence: Procedural and Substantive Aspects’.