The Court of Appeal of Dodekanisa

INTRODUCTION

The Court of Appeal of Dodekanisa was established in 1947 (Law No. 493/1947, Government Gazette Issue A’ 262/27.11.1947) and is housed in the Rhodes Judicial Court Building.

The building that houses the Courts of Rhodes (1st floor: Court of First Instance – Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Court of First Instance; 2nd floor: Court of Appeal – Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Court of Appeal) is situated on the eastern side of a triangular plot, with façades facing Eleftherias Square (Foro Italico), Ethnarchou Makariou Street and Plotoarchou Plessa Street. It is located in front of the ancient military harbour of the city, in the Mandraki area.

The building was constructed during the period of the Italian occupation of the Dodecanese, with construction taking place in successive phases between 1923 and 1939. Historically, it resulted from the integration of four buildings during the period of Italian rule:

  1. The original courthouse building, “Palazzo di Giustizia e Tribunale”, located on 7th March Street, which resulted from the conversion of a pre-existing Ottoman-period school building.
  2. The “Palazzetto San Giorgio” on 7th March Street.
  3. The “Palazzo dei Lavori Pubblici” on Ethnarchou Makariou Street.
  4. The “Circolo della Caccia, Biblioteca del Fiore”, located at the junction of Ethnarchou Makariou Street and Plotoarchou Plessa Street.

Today, the administrative offices of the Court of Appeal of Dodekanisa, the Secretariat of the Civil and Criminal Departments, as well as the office of the President of the Court of Appeal and the Court of Appeal Judges’ Hall, are located on the 1st floor of the Judicial Court Building. The courtroom of the Court of Appeal of Dodekanisa is located on the ground floor of the building.

The organisation and operation of the Court of Appeal of Dodekanisa, both at its main seat in Rhodes and at its temporary seat in Kos, are governed by Decision No. 3/2024 of its Plenary Session concerning the amendment of its Internal Service Regulation. This decision was approved by Decision No. 41/2024 of the Plenary Session of the Supreme Civil and Criminal Court of Greece (Areios Pagos) (in council) and was published in the Government Gazette (Issue B’ 5637/2024).

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