Four defendants deny new charges in golden passport case

Nicosia, Cyprus. Four defendants in the golden passport case involving former transport minister Marios Demetriades denied 25 new charges on Tuesday. The court set an interim date for next Friday, before the trial opens on October 19.

Dispute over charge details

Defence lawyer Elias Stefanou told the Nicosia permanent criminal court that he had asked prosecutors last Thursday for details of the new charges but received a reply only the previous afternoon. He said his clients were ready to respond rather than delay the case, but requested an interim hearing to decide whether the prosecution’s reply should be treated as binding detail or addressed later.

State lawyer Haris Karaolidou said the defendants had enough information to understand the case against them. He said any general wording reflected the law underpinning the charges, rather than a lack of detail. Supporting evidence, including witness material, had been provided, he said, although that did not limit what prosecutors could present at trial.

Charges and witnesses

Twenty-four new charges apply to four of the ten defendants: Andreas, Demetris and George Demetriades, and Eleni Symillidi. The last three charges concern money transferred by three investors and relate to money laundering rules. Stefanou has described that part of the case as “completely different in nature” from the rest of the indictment.

Prosecutors said the added charges arise from events already covered by the indictment and are based on evidence they already hold. The court also approved a prosecution request to call three additional witnesses.

Eight people and two companies face trial on charges spanning influence peddling, bribery, extortion, conspiracy to defraud, VAT fraud and money laundering.