Lawyers acting for the man accused of killing Elisabeth-Jane Ross have asked a court to obtain her medical records from the UK, it has been confirmed.
The 38-year-old aid worker, who was known as Lisa, was found dead inside a suitcase by a homeless man in a derelict building in the Kypseli area of Athens on July 18.
Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, has been charged with homicide with intent, along with weapons and robbery offences.
Homicide with intent is understood to be equivalent to a murder charge in Scotland.
Ahmadzai exercised his right to remain silent when he appeared in court in Athens on Thursday, and did not submit a plea to any of the charges.
His lawyer Christos Erdas said this is because they are waiting for further medical evidence to be submitted to the court.
He told the Press Association: “The reason for the silence is because we are waiting in the near future for some more documents and evidence to come to the judge.
“All of them are related to medical documents from the doctor who examined Lisa’s body.”
He said the cause of Ms Ross’s death is still yet to be established, and this information is needed before his client will be in a position to submit a plea.
Greek police said last week there were no signs of injury or harm on Ms Ross’s body when it was discovered.
They said further tests are being carried out to establish how she died.
Mr Erdas also said they had put in a request for Ms Ross’s own medical records to be obtained from the UK as part of the evidence in the case.
“At the same time we also asked the judge to order the communication with the authorities in Scotland and the UK, to get all the medical papers for Lisa,” he said.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We are aware of the death of a Scottish woman in Athens and are liaising with authorities in Greece.
“Officers are providing support to her family in Scotland.”
