The trial related to the Al Jazeera report on the Cyprus Citizenships by Investment Scheme (aka Golden Passports scheme) gets underway today after the court rejected the Prosecution’s request for a delay.
State prosecutor Charis Karaolidou had asked for a short delay and suggested dropping two of the five charges because two key witnesses are unavailable. Their sworn testimonies or attendance at court haven’t been secured yet.
- First Witness: This person lives outside Cyprus. While she initially agreed to testify, she has since stopped responding to police attempts to contact her. Efforts are ongoing to locate her.
- Second Witness: This person recently left Cyprus and now lives in London. He claims medical issues prevent him from traveling and has reported receiving threatening messages. However, it’s unclear if these death threats are linked to this case. The Prosecution doubts his willingness to testify truthfully, raising concerns about his credibility.
The Prosecution argued that resolving these issues is critical because the two witnesses are central to charges 4 and 5. Without their testimony, these charges may be dropped. They requested a 10-day delay to finalize their position.
The accused & charges
Former House President Demetris Syllouris, former Akel MP Christakis Giovanis, and senior lawyer Antonis Antoniou are accused of serious crimes. These include plotting to undermine the government and trying to improperly influence a public official in violation of anti-corruption laws.
From the defence side:
- Christos Triantafyllides, representing Dimitris Syllouris, opposed further delays, noting his client has been waiting for trial for four years. He emphasized that the delays were not his client’s fault and accused the Prosecution of attempting to shift blame.
- George Papaioannou, defending Christakis Giovannis, said his client had no knowledge of the threats and agreed to a short delay to avoid appearing uncooperative.
- Andreas Pittatzis, representing Antonis Antoniou, criticized the witnesses for avoiding their responsibilities and noted his client had no involvement in the alleged threats. He didn’t object to the delay.
The court rejected the Prosecution’s delay request, stating that repeated postponements are unacceptable without a serious reason. The trial will proceed, starting with evidence related to the first three charges. The court also noted the next hearing would be in over 10 days, giving the Prosecution more time to address the remaining issues.
Update
The first witnesses in the opening golden passport trial, linked to the Al Jazeera documentary, did not appear in court on Monday and the next hearings have been set for January 27 and 29, at 9.30am.
