6.  The applicant was born in 1928 and lives in Nicosia. 7.  The applicant was recruited in September 1946 by the Bank of Cyprus (“the Bank”). He retired from the Bank on 31 December 1988. To enhance his career prospects, he continued his studies while working, studying through distance-learning programmes run by British colleges. In 1960 he was granted two-years’ unpaid educational leave to study in London. When he returned he was promoted deputy to the Chief Inspector with the prospect of succeeding the latter. In 1963 the Government established the Central Bank (the State issuing Bank), which published its vacant posts. Interested in one of the four advertised managerial posts, the applicant contacted the Central Bank’s Governor who offered him a post entailing responsibility for banking operations. 8.  On hearing about the Central Bank’s offer, the applicant’s Bank, in 1964, offered him orally the post of Chief Inspector on the condition that he followed a six-month training course in London. When the applicant returned from his training, the Bank promoted him to the lower post of Head of Department. In 1967 the Bank amended its Conditions of Service. The applicant was kept in the same grade. In the same year the applicant was transferred on promotion to take charge of the Bank’s Paphos Branch. In 1969 he was again promoted (but not to the post allegedly agreed on). In 1970 he was transferred back to the Head Office, where he alleges he was given various duties below managerial status. 9.  The applicant alleges that in 1983 the Chairman of the Bank, in the course of a private meeting, stated that the reason for not promoting him to the post agreed on in 1964 was that the Board of Directors had received from a group of shareholders a number of anonymous letters criticising the Board for bad administration. The Board suspected that these letters had been sent by the applicant. The applicant further alleges that, following this information, he tried hard for almost two years to convince the Bank of his innocence, but to no avail. 10.  The applicant claims that in 1987, nineteen months before his retirement, the Bank offered him 32,000 Cyprus pounds with a year’s increment in salary and threatened him that, if he did not accept, the Bank would demote him from Sub-Manager to Head of Department. The applicant refused the offer. 11.  In 1988 the Disciplinary Committee of the Bank ordered the applicant’s dismissal with stay of execution. 12.  Considering that the Bank had not respected its commitment to appoint him to a senior management position, the applicant instituted proceedings before the District Court of Nicosia claiming damages. 2.  The proceedings before the District Court of Nicosia and the Supreme Court sitting as an appeal court
(a)  The hearing of the action 13.  The applicant lodged an action for damages (no. 7439/85) with the District Court of Nicosia on 12 August 1985. On 22 October 1985 he filed his statement of claim and on 15 April 1986 he filed an amended version. 14.  On 27 June 1986 the applicant applied for the action to be set down for a hearing. The hearing was fixed for 7 October 1986. One month before the hearing the applicant replaced his lawyer and, following the request of both parties, the hearing was adjourned to 19 February 1987 and then to 10 June 1987. On 3 March 1987 the applicant filed an application to amend further his statement of claim. This application was granted on 23 May 1987. 15.  On 6 June 1987 the applicant filed his amended statement of claim. However, on 3 July 1987 the defendant filed an application to have certain parts of the application struck out. The application was fixed for hearing on 21 September 1987, but the hearing had to be adjourned to 20 October 1987 because the applicant failed to file an opposition. On that date it was adjourned again because the applicant had in the meantime replaced his lawyer. On 14 December 1987 the District Court ordered the striking out of certain parts of the statement of claim. On 5 January 1988 the defendant filed its statement of defence. The action was fixed for hearing on 10 March 1988. On 6 February 1988 the applicant’s lawyer withdrew from the case and the hearing had to be again adjourned to 4 May 1988. The applicant appeared in person. On 16 May 1988 he applied for a further adjournment in order to appoint a new lawyer. On 6 June 1988 the new lawyer applied for a further adjournment in order to study the file. On 8 August 1988 the applicant’s lawyer applied for a further adjournment because the applicant was ill. However, the court dismissed the request. The applicant’s lawyer withdrew from the case. 16.  On 30 July 1988 the District Court delivered judgment and dismissed the action.
(b)  The appeal 17.  The applicant appealed against this judgment to the Supreme Court. He alleged a violation of Article 30 of the Constitution and of Article 6 of the Convention. 18.  The appeal was fixed for hearing for 25 November 1991 but adjourned to 12 January 1992 because the applicant was ill. It had to be adjourned again to 20 March 1992 because the applicant’s lawyer had other commitments. 19.  On 20 March 1992 the applicant informed the court that he had dismissed his lawyer and requested a three-month adjournment of the hearing. The hearing was adjourned to 15 October 1992. On that date the applicant appeared in person. 20.  On 10 November 1992 the Supreme Court delivered its judgment. It held that the failure of the trial court to grant the adjournment which the applicant had requested on 8 July 1988 had, in the circumstances, led to a violation of the applicant’s right to a fair hearing. 21.  The Supreme Court quashed the judgment of 30 July 1988 and ordered a re-trial by another District Court.
(c)  The second hearing 22.  The action was fixed for hearing for 14 December 1992, but on that date the applicant applied for an adjournment in order to appoint another lawyer. On 16 March 1993 the hearing was adjourned to 2 July 1993 with the consent of both parties, and then to 29 October 1993 at the request of the applicant. On that date the court did not proceed with the hearing because the applicant had filed an application for the production of documents. The defendant objected to that application, but its objection was dismissed on 7 December 1993. On 17 December 1993 the applicant applied for an amendment of his statement of claim. His application was granted. 23.  On 25 January 1994 the applicant filed an application for disclosure of documents in the defendant’s possession. The application was fixed for directions on 21 February 1994. As the defendant objected to the application, a hearing was fixed. On 20 April 1994 the court granted the application. 24.  The hearing of the action commenced on 21 June 1994. The applicant applied for an adjournment because he intended to file an application for amendment of his statement of claim. As a result, the hearing was adjourned to 20 September 1994, and then to 17 October 1994 and 28 November 1994. The application was granted on 19 January 1995 and the hearing of the action continued on 6 February 1995. 25.  During the hearing the court issued two interlocutory rulings on procedural matters. On 27 March 1995 the applicant filed two appeals against these rulings with the Supreme Court. He also filed an application for a stay of the proceedings until the determination of the appeals and the conclusion of the investigation of a complaint he had lodged with the police against the defendant. On 8 May 1995 the court dismissed both applications for a stay of the proceedings. The hearing of the action continued on 17 May 1995. 26.  On 11 June 1995 judgment was reserved. However, by that time one of the judges of the bench had retired and thus the action had to be re-heard by another bench.
(d)  The third hearing 27.  On 28 March 1996 the hearing of the action was resumed before another bench of the court. However, on 6 May 1996 one of the judges was appointed to the Supreme Court and thus the hearing had to be adjourned to 1 July 1996 in order to be recommenced before a different bench.
(e)  The fourth hearing 28.  The hearing before a different bench was fixed for 12 September 1996, but was adjourned to 22 October 1996. 29.  On 11 October 1996 the applicant filed an application to stay the hearing of the action until private criminal proceedings he had initiated against the defendant had been determined. On 11 November 1996 the court dismissed the application. 30.  On 23 December 1996 the hearing of the action was concluded and the court reserved its judgment. 31.  On 14 January 1997 the applicant filed an application for the re‑opening of the action in order to submit further arguments. On 24 January 1997 the court dismissed the application. 32.  On 20 March 1997 the District Court dismissed the applicant’s civil claims. 33.  On 15 April 1997 the applicant appealed to the Supreme Court. The hearing was fixed for 18 July 1997, but was adjourned to 24 September 1997, and then to 25 November 1997 and 28 January 1998 because the transcript of the trial was not ready yet. The written addresses of both parties were submitted on 17 June 1998. The hearing took place on 22 September 1998 and was concluded on 24 March 1999. Judgment was reserved. However, as one of the judges had resigned, the appeal was assigned to another bench of the Supreme Court, which re-heard the case and delivered judgment on 29 November 1999. 34.  The introductory paragraph of the judgment read as follows:
“The action, which resulted in the judgment from which appeal is made, was filed in August 1985. The course of the case was exceptionally unfortunate. The responsibility lies, to a much greater extent, upon the court. The trial commenced three times before different benches of the Full Court without resulting in a determination of the dispute. Here we have the appeal against the judgment in the fourth trial.”