The trial over Cyprus’s controversial “golden passports” scheme, which gained international attention following an Al Jazeera investigation, began on Monday after the court rejected the prosecution’s request for a postponement.
Prosecutor Harris Karaolidou indicated that two of the five charges might be withdrawn, as two key prosecution witnesses are currently unavailable to testify.
One witness, who resides outside Cyprus, had initially agreed to testify but has become unresponsive to police communications, Karaolidou told the court. The second witness, who recently relocated to London, has cited medical issues preventing travel to Cyprus and reported receiving threatening messages.
“The witness mentioned receiving life-threatening messages, though it remains unclear whether these are related to this case”, Karaolidou said.
Former parliament speaker Demetris Syllouris’s defence lawyer, Christos Triantafyllides, strongly objected to the postponement request.
He emphasised that his client has been seeking trial for four years and denied any involvement in alleged witness threats.
The criminal court rejected the prosecution’s request for a 10-day adjournment, noting multiple previous delays.
However, the court indicated that future hearings would allow sufficient time for the prosecution to address concerns regarding the two disputed charges.
The case centres on allegations of corruption in Cyprus’s citizenship-by-investment programme, which was terminated following media revelations about potential abuses in the scheme that allowed wealthy foreigners to obtain Cypriot passports.
Three defendants face charges in the case: former parliament speaker Demetris Syllouris, Christakis Giovani, and Antonis Antoniou.
The prosecution will proceed with evidence presentation for the first three charges, while the status of the remaining two charges remains uncertain pending witness availability.
