Defence seeks separate hearing on evidence in golden passports trial

Nicosia, Cyprus. Defendants facing charges in the golden passports case asked on Tuesday for a separate hearing within their trial to examine whether evidence could be admitted. The defence argued that police had improperly obtained a substantial amount of the material prosecutors intended to present.

Defence challenges searches and seized material

Defence lawyer Elias Stefanou raised objections concerning three search warrants covering the Demetriades family’s law firm. He said the concerns involved breaches of confidentiality between lawyers and clients, infringements of communications privacy, searches extending beyond what the warrants authorised, and whether the seized material was relevant.

The items taken included electronic correspondence, a hard drive, desktop computer units, data-storage equipment, mobile handsets and documents on paper.

Stefanou said prosecutors had been asked to identify the material they planned to use in court. The separate hearing sought by the defence would establish what evidence could be admitted in the main proceedings.

Prosecution asks for specific objections

Lead prosecutor Charis Karaolidou responded that the defence had already been told which evidentiary items prosecutors would not use. She said defence lawyers needed to identify precisely the material they were challenging.

Ten defendants face charges

The proceedings at the criminal court in Nicosia involve ten defendants: Marios Demetriades, a former transport minister; Andreas Demetriades; Demetris Demetriades; Giorgos Demetriades; Eleni Simillidi; Jing Wang; Josef Friedrich Santin; Vasiliki Georgiou-Santin; Andreas Demetriades & Co LLC; and Delsk Business Services Ltd.

The charges concern corruption, bribery, money laundering and conspiracy to defraud in connection with citizenship granted to 19 investors from Asia under the citizenship-by-investment programme, which has since ended.