26.02.2023
The ongoing legal proceedings in the Nicosia court over the “golden passports” took a new turn on Wednesday, leading to another delay until March 8, this time due to the composition of the court.
The defendants are former President of the House of Representatives Demetris Syllouris, former Akel MP Christakis Giovani, Giovani Group senior lawyer Antonis Antoniou and lawyer Andreas Pittajis.
The lawsuit is based on the findings of Nikolatos’s investigation into the citizenship-by-investment scheme, which was prompted by the 2020 Al Jazeera report.
The defendants face five charges, including conspiracy to deceive the Republic and influencing a public official to violate laws that criminalize corruption.
This time, the request for a delay came from the prosecution, which stated that all defendants should be tried. Only three of the defense lawyers were in court on Wednesday.
During the latest hearing on January 30, the judge hinted that the court might not be appropriate to rule on the case. His term expires at the end of June.
During Wednesday’s hearing, the prosecution, represented by Deputy Prosecutor General Savvas Angelidis, said that before arguing on the merits or shortcomings of the arguments of the pre-trial defense, the prosecution considers it necessary to raise an issue “for which there were only indications, but now it is a fact” and that legally this must be presented to all defendants.
He said that the current composition of the court would not be extended until June 30, as the chairman of the current criminal court would be appointed chairman of the newly created Court of Appeal, which is due to begin work on July 1. Angelidis said that all the defendants should appear at the next court session “to get acquainted with this.”
The lawyers agreed to postpone the meeting until March 8.
