More than two months after the well-known lawyer Apostolos Litras was jailed for the severe beating of his wife, Sofia Polyzogopoulou, tensions between the former high-profile lawyer couple appear to be easing for the sake of their young daughter.

Sofia Polyzogopoulou, who, according to the forensic report, experienced a “nightmare” of physical abuse at the hands of her former partner, has submitted a memorandum to the Athens Misdemeanor Court Council. In it, she supports replacing Apostolos Litras’ pre-trial detention with conditional release, prioritizing their child’s interest and the need for her to communicate with her father.

For Our Daughter

The 37-year-old lawyer, while still supporting the charges against her estranged husband, is now focusing on their daughter. As stated in her memorandum, “the continuation of my estranged husband’s pre-trial detention undoubtedly has a negative impact on our daughter’s mental health, whose protection is my utmost priority.”

Therefore, she asks the judges to release the accused lawyer from prison, clarifying that she is not retracting the felony charges brought against him by the prosecutor based on her own testimonies and other evidence related to the severe beating she suffered.

According to reports, Polyzogopoulou submitted the memorandum to the court council shortly after mid-August. In it, she informs the judges—supporting her request not to extend his detention—that both she and her husband are making every effort to normalize their relationship “solely regarding our daughter and the protection of her well-being.”

In fact, as she highlights, she and Apostolos Litras agreed at the end of July to grant her sole custody of their child through a joint statement before the Athens Single-Member Court of First Instance. They also arranged the visitation hours for the accused lawyer to see their daughter. This agreement was accepted with a temporary court order issued in early August. Their goal is for the child to maintain daily contact with her father and not be cut off from him.

However, Polyzogopoulou makes it clear that she does not intend to withdraw her support for the charges against Apostolos Litras, emphasizing that everything she testified about her abuse “fully reflects the complete and absolute truth.” She also states that she will repeat these testimonies before any relevant authority whenever called upon. However, as indicated in her memorandum, what matters most to her now, above her dispute with her 52-year-old estranged husband, is their daughter’s well-being. Both she and the accused are working to improve their relationship for their daughter’s sake.

Under these circumstances, Polyzogopoulou argues that extending Litras’ pre-trial detention would harm their child’s mental state. To prevent this, she believes he should be released with the restrictive conditions outlined in Article 18 of Law 3500/2006. In her conclusion, she also notes that Litras’ two older daughters from his first marriage need their father, as they are understandably in poor mental health given the situation.

The Timeline

The investigation into this high-profile domestic violence case is now complete, and the court council is expected to issue a ruling soon regarding Apostolos Litras’ trial and whether his pre-trial detention will continue. Polyzogopoulou submitted her memorandum to the council because it is responsible for making these decisions.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, the prosecutor handling the case requested that Apostolos Litras be tried for the misdemeanor of bodily harm rather than the felony of grievous bodily harm, for which he was initially charged.