The Greek language Politis reports that a major Limassol law firm and nine of its lawyers are under criminal investigation in connection with the issue of “golden passports” to four investors – three from Russia and one from Venezuela – together with their dependants, including spouses and children.
The firm tried to cancel a search warrant executed at its offices on 8 October 2024, to prevent the Police from using evidence obtained during the investigation. (As no decision has been made regarding prosecutions, the name of the law firm and its lawyers are not being published.)
The search warrant was considered necessary after investigators from the CID Headquarters found that files and correspondence had been deleted from the firm’s central server. The deletions were discovered following the initial Police search at the offices on 5 April 2024, which was also carried out under a court warrant.
A second search warrant was subsequently issued to recover the deleted data that had not been found in April. The firm’s attempt to have this warrant cancelled was unsuccessful. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court upheld the position of Attorney-General George Savvides and rejected the firm’s appeal to cancel the search warrant.
Six criminal offences under investigation
The Supreme Court’s decision is considered crucial for the outcome of the ongoing investigations, as it allows all evidence seized from the law firm, which includes files recovered by Police experts, to be used in the case. The Legal Service will now review the evidence to determine whether criminal charges will be filed.
The offences under investigation include:
- Conspiracy to Defraud (Article 302, Cap. 154)
- Conspiracy to Commit Felonies (Article 371, Cap. 154)
- Offences under the Prevention and Suppression of Money Laundering Law 188(I)/2007 (Articles 3, 4, 5, 27)
- False Statements (Article 116(1), Civil Registry Law 141(I)/2002)
- Failure to Comply with Regulations (Article 88, Civil Registry Law 141(I)/2002)
- Forgery of Travel Documents (Article 89(1)(e), Civil Registry Law 141(I)/2002)
According to the Police, the alleged offences were committed from 2015 onwards.
Law firm attempted to destroy evidence
As part of the investigation, the Police secured a search order for the firm’s Limassol offices on 3 April 2024, which was executed two days later. During the search, four physical files relating to the investors’ applications were seized, along with electronic files and correspondence located on the firm’s main server. These were transferred to digital storage using keyword-based searches.
During subsequent analysis, investigators discovered that some of the electronic data appeared to have been altered or deleted. A second search order was therefore deemed necessary to recover the missing information connected to the alleged offences.
The warrant issued on 8 October 2024 specifically stated that “technology makes it possible to recover deleted or altered files from the firm’s central server through a defined procedure, allowing transfer to an external storage unit without inspecting unrelated data.”
Software restored deleted files
Using forensic recovery software, Police experts managed to retrieve crucial evidence that had been deleted from the firm’s server without accessing unrelated client files. This safeguarded legal professional privilege, ensuring that the warrant would remain valid.
The restored digital evidence has now been securely stored for further investigation and evaluation by the authorities.
