Extradition Lawyer in Heraklion: Eastern Crete Court of Appeal

For an extradition case handled in Heraklion, the relevant appellate court is the Court of Appeal of Eastern Crete (Εφετείο Ανατολικής Κρήτης), seated in Heraklion—not the separate Court of Appeal of Crete in Chania. In an ordinary extradition case, its Council of Appeal Judges (Συμβούλιο Εφετών) gives the judicial opinion; an appeal against the final opinion goes to Greece’s Supreme Court, Areios Pagos. The first task is to identify whether the papers concern extradition from a non-EU state or a European Arrest Warrant from another EU Member State, because the procedure and deadlines differ.

This page deals with the Heraklion and Lasithi court district: the local court and prosecutor, airport-arrest contacts, the first procedural steps, custody-location checks and the deadlines most likely to matter at the start. The Greece-wide procedure belongs in the Greece extradition guide; detailed refusal grounds and remedies belong in the guide to challenging extradition from Greece.

Which court and prosecutor handle a Heraklion case?

Article 6 of Law 5108/2024 places the Court of Appeal of Eastern Crete in Heraklion and gives it territorial jurisdiction over the First Instance Court districts of Heraklion and Lasithi. The separate Court of Appeal of Crete, seated in Chania, covers Chania and Rethymno. Do not send a Heraklion/Lasithi extradition enquiry to Chania simply because the island-wide name sounds similar.

Institution	Role and verified local details
Court of Appeal of Eastern Crete	The Council of Appeal Judges considers ordinary extradition requests under the Code. Address: Daskalogianni Square, Heraklion 71201. The court lists Criminal Division numbers +30 2810 247822, 247806, 247823, 247849 and 247833, and the published Criminal Division emails efanourakis@efeteio-anatolikiskritis.gov.gr, mlouloudis@efeteio-anatolikiskritis.gov.gr, ggerakianaki@efeteio-anatolikiskritis.gov.gr, vpsouni@efeteio-anatolikiskritis.gov.gr and papadakichristina@gmail.com. Published hours: Monday–Friday, 07:00–15:00.
Prosecutor’s Office of the Court of Appeal of Eastern Crete	Handles appellate-prosecutor steps, including urgent provisional-arrest steps allowed by law. Address: Daskalogianni Square, Heraklion 71201; +30 2810 247832 / 247829; gram@eisaggeliaefeton-anatolikiskritis.gov.gr. Published hours: Monday–Friday, 07:00–15:00.
Heraklion Airport Police Station	A local contact if the arrest occurred at Heraklion International Airport; it does not decide extradition or surrender. Nea Alikarnassos, Heraklion 71601; duty officer +30 2810 246747; security office +30 2810 246726; at.her.airport@astynomia.gr.
Alikarnassos Correctional Facility	An officially listed correctional facility in Heraklion, not proof that every person arrested there for extradition is held there. Stadiou 13, Heraklion 71100; +30 2810 001901; info.ali@sofron.gov.gr. Confirm actual custody with the police or prosecutor.

The Court of Appeal’s notice dated 21 October 2026 says that communication by lawyers and members of the public should be made through the relevant department’s published telephone numbers and email addresses, not through the general contact form. Use the Criminal Division contacts for a court file and ask which registry officer handles the matter. These are published institutional contacts, not confirmation that a particular officer has been assigned to an individual case. Before emailing sensitive documents, confirm the correct channel.

What should happen in the first 72 hours?

This is a practical action plan, not a statutory “72-hour rule”. Record the exact arrest time and place, the legal instrument shown to the person, and when the appellate prosecutor receives the arrest reports. The clocks below have different triggers; none should be calculated from the time a relative first hears about the arrest.

Trigger	Rule and practical action
Immediately after arrest	In an ordinary extradition case, the person is brought before the appellate prosecutor without delay for identity verification. Ask for counsel before discussing consent or signing a declaration; request an interpreter if Greek is not understood. Record the arrest location and the authority holding the person.
Within 3 days after presentation to the prosecutor	Article 445(5) allows the person provisionally arrested to challenge identity before the Council of Appeal Judges within three days from presentation to the appellate prosecutor. If the name spelling, date of birth or passport details are wrong, tell counsel immediately and provide reliable identity documents.
Within 3 days after the arrest reports reach the Court of Appeal President	Article 449(1) requires the President to convene the Council within three days after receiving the reports referred to in Article 446. This may be later than the arrest itself. Ask the registry to confirm receipt and the hearing date.

The person may appear with a lawyer and interpreter of their choice or ask the President to appoint them. The Council hearing is public unless the arrested person requests a closed hearing or does not appear. The Council may adjourn the hearing for up to eight days; if required documents are missing, it may allow a reasonable further period. Arrange counsel, interpretation and any needed translations promptly.

Which deadlines control provisional detention and appeal?

The table gives the domestic Code baseline for ordinary extradition, not a universal timetable. An applicable treaty may displace a conflicting national rule; a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) follows a separate EU surrender framework.

Issue	Current rule and trigger	What to do
Formal extradition request after provisional arrest	Article 445(3): if the formal request is not submitted within 30 days from arrest, the appellate prosecutor orders release. Treaty rules may set a different period. Under Article 16 of the 1957 European Convention on Extradition, provisional arrest may be terminated if the request and supporting documents have not arrived within 18 days and must not exceed 40 days from arrest. Do not treat either period as universal without identifying the instrument.	Have counsel calculate the period from the arrest record and identify the treaty or other legal basis. Do not use the date of an alert or family notification.
Council hearing	Article 449(1): the President convenes the Council within three days after receiving the Article 446 reports.	Provide identity records, documents and translations promptly; confirm when the reports reached the President.
Appeal against the Council’s final decision	Article 451(1): the requested person or appellate prosecutor may appeal to Areios Pagos within five days from publication of the final decision in court. Under Article 451(2), the Supreme Court sitting in council decides within 15 days, and the person must be notified at least three days before the hearing.	Contact counsel on the day the decision is published. The clock does not wait for a relative to receive a copy.

Check the Council of Europe Treaty Office record for Greece’s declarations and reservations and read Article 16 of the Convention if that treaty applies. An EAW issued by another EU Member State follows Law 3251/2004 and Framework Decision 2002/584/JHA, not the non-EU extradition timetable above. Obtain the actual warrant or request and ask Greek counsel to identify the governing route.

What can counsel ask the Council to do about detention or consent?

Under Articles 443–450, the Council of Appeal Judges of Eastern Crete checks identity, required documents and the legal conditions for extradition; it does not ordinarily retry the foreign criminal case. In ordinary treaty extradition, the Council’s final opinion and the Minister of Justice’s later surrender decision are separate stages. A European Arrest Warrant follows a distinct EU surrender route.

Article 449(4) allows the Council to replace detention with restrictive conditions during the extradition procedure. In Areios Pagos Decision 702/2026, the Supreme Court interpreted this power as ending when the Council issues a favourable opinion; Article 449(4) also says any substitution ends automatically when the favourable decision is published. Do not assume an appeal reopens the Council’s power to impose conditions. A detention objection under Article 452(3) is separate from an appeal against the extradition opinion.

Express consent to extradition is different from non-attendance or an appeal. Under Article 448, consent is declared before the President of the Court of Appeal for the area where the person resides, with counsel and an interpreter if the person does not understand Greek; the declaration is irrevocable. Do not sign before receiving independent legal advice. The Greece-wide guide explains the full procedure; the challenge guide covers refusal grounds and later remedies.

What should family members and foreign counsel prepare?

The person’s full name in every spelling used, date and place of birth, nationality, passport or identity-document copies, and any current Greek address.
The exact arrest date, time and place; whether it occurred at Heraklion Airport, a port, a police station or elsewhere; and the authority believed to be holding the person.
Every document received: arrest or warrant paperwork, Red Notice information, EAW, provisional-arrest notice, extradition request, court notice, translations and decisions. An alert alone does not identify the legal instrument.
The requesting state, alleged offence, whether the request concerns prosecution or sentence enforcement, and known hearing or sentence dates.
Evidence relevant to identity, health, family circumstances, lawful residence, possible ill-treatment or discrimination, and procedural guarantees. These issues require case-specific legal assessment; they are not automatic grounds for refusal.
Contact details for the family and foreign counsel, interpreter needs, and a clear request for access to the file. Ask Greek counsel about translation, certification and the correct way to lodge documents.

For an airport arrest, the official Airport Police Station in Nea Alikarnassos may help identify the arresting unit; it does not decide surrender. Once the file is with the appellate prosecutor and court, direct procedural enquiries to the appropriate office. Alikarnassos is a listed local facility, but do not assume the person is there just because the arrest happened in Heraklion. Confirm the actual custody location.

What does this local page add to the Greece-wide guide?

This page adds the local routing step: use the Eastern Crete Criminal Division for the court file, contact the appellate prosecutor for prosecutor-side steps, use airport police only to identify the arresting unit, and confirm actual custody rather than assuming Alikarnassos. Hypothetically, if a traveller is arrested at Heraklion Airport, the family should identify the actual instrument, contact counsel and ask when the Court of Appeal President received the Article 446 arrest reports, because that receipt—not the arrest itself—starts the Article 449 three-day convening period.

The Code of Criminal Procedure, Law 4620/2019 as amended, must be read together with the applicable treaty or EU instrument. This is general information, not advice on an individual case. The site’s team coordinates cross-border defence with local counsel; to discuss a case, use the request page.

Frequently asked questions

Does every extradition arrest in Heraklion go to the Court of Appeal of Crete in Chania?

No. Heraklion and Lasithi fall within the Court of Appeal of Eastern Crete, seated in Heraklion. The separate Court of Appeal of Crete in Chania serves Chania and Rethymno.

Is the appeal deadline 24 hours?

Do not rely on old English excerpts that state 24 hours. Article 451 of the current Greek Code provides five days from publication of the Council’s final decision, subject to the exact proceeding and applicable instrument. Ask counsel to calculate the deadline immediately.

Will a person arrested at the airport be held at Alikarnassos?

Not necessarily. Alikarnassos is an officially listed correctional facility in Heraklion, but the actual place of detention must be confirmed with the police or prosecutor handling the case.