The entry and exit records of the Strovilia crossing point, through which the five Greek Cypriots who were arrested in the north in July had entered the north, were the subject of Wednesday’s hearing of their trial at the military court in northern Nicosia.

The defence called Cyprus Turkish computer engineers’ chamber chairman Togan Cakmak as its witness, and he told the court that having performed a “technical assessment” of the records, which are kept on Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, “I cannot say that data integrity has been achieved”.

He added that he also “cannot say that the data is complete”, but that he “cannot say that there is a lack of evidence, nor that it is whole”.

The prosecution, meanwhile, insisted that the data was “entire and whole”.

When cross-examined, Cakmak said he had “no knowledge” of the database used by the police because he “had not seen it” prior to Thursday’s hearing but did say that he has “the ability to read all kinds of software, find vulnerabilities and make corrections”.

The case was adjourned until next Tuesday so as to allow the defence to present its next witness.

The police and the prosecution allege that when the five crossed in one car from the British Dhekelia base through the Strovilia crossing point, near Famagusta, only four identity cards were handed over for inspection on the Turkish Cypriot side of the crossing point.

As such, one of the five Greek Cypriots has been charged with illegally entering the north, while the other four are accused of aiding and abetting the illegal entry. The five Greek Cypriots deny the charges.

Meanwhile, the five will next appear at a civilian court in Trikomo on Friday.

There, all five face charges of trespassing and breaching the peace while in Trikomo on July 19, while two face charges of privacy violations.

They remain on bail, with the north’s supreme court having found in two separate cases that earlier remand orders against them had been handed down illegally.