In Cyprus, hearings resumed in the 'golden passport' case, which has caused a huge public outcry.
However, the trial ran into difficulties when key witnesses failed to appear in court on Monday 13 January. Judge Nicholas Georgiadis refused another request for an adjournment, saying it was unacceptable to prolong the proceedings. He stressed that the sessions scheduled for 9.30am on 27 and 29 January would still take place.
The main defendants are former President of the House of Representatives Demitris Syllouris, former MP Christakis Giovanis and a senior manager of his real estate company, Antonis Antoniou.
The defendants are facing five charges. The main charges relate to criminal conspiracy to undermine the authority of the Republic of Cyprus and to influence public officials in violation of the Council of Europe Convention on the Criminalisation of Corruption. The defendants, for their part, deny all the charges against them. It should be clarified that the trial is based on the findings of Myron Nicolatos, who investigated the cases of illegal issuance of 'golden' passports.
Prosecutor Haris Karaolidou said on Monday that key witnesses were abroad. One of them cites health problems and threats against him. Nevertheless, the prosecution is still working to obtain their testimony.
Defence lawyers Christos Triantafyllides, George Papaioannou and Andreas Pittagis assured the court of their clients' readiness for further hearings and stressed the need to respect their legal rights. The judge said the judiciary intends to conclude the trial as soon as possible to ensure a speedy resolution of the high-profile case.
Recall that the huge scandal erupted on 12 October 2020, following a report by the Qatari television channel Al Jazeera.
In the video, high-ranking officials agreed to grant Cypriot citizenship to a Chinese investor who had been sentenced in absentia by the PRC authorities to seven years in prison for corruption, money laundering and bribery.
Cyprus has set up a special committee to investigate the high-profile scandal. In parallel, the country's Auditor General has been conducting an independent investigation, which, for reasons unknown, has been repeatedly blocked. A series of public hearings were held on the island.
Finally, on 22 June 2021, the final report of the committee of inquiry headed by Myron Nicolatos into the illegal issuance of golden passports was published. The 780-page dossier was heavily redacted. The names and some personal details of investors were removed for security reasons.
A lengthy investigation revealed a number of irregularities. Syllouris and Giovannis resigned. Under pressure from the international community, the Cypriot authorities were forced to close the scheme on 1 November 2020.