Nicosia, Cyprus. The Legal Service said on Wednesday it will file an appeal against the acquittal of former House speaker Demetris Syllouris and Akel MP Christakis Giovanis, citing judicial discrepancies in the initial ruling.
Court ruling and charges
The announcement followed a judgement on Tuesday by the Nicosia permanent criminal court, which by a two-to-one majority cleared both men of all charges linked to alleged corruption in naturalisations under the former investment programme, which was exposed internationally by an undercover investigation broadcast by Al Jazeera in 2020.
The court ruled that although the Al Jazeera investigation prompted the case, its undercover video could not be regarded as evidence. Judges said their verdict could rely only on admissible testimony and documents presented to the court.
Three charges were examined: two counts of trading in influence and one count of conspiracy to defraud the state.
Dissenting opinion
The verdict was not unanimous. Judge Maria Loizou dissented in part, saying she would have convicted on the conspiracy to defraud the state charge but agreed with acquittals on the two trading in influence counts.
Legal Service response
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Legal Service communications head and public prosecutor Polina Evthyvoulou said the right to appeal was lawful and necessary.
“Court decisions must be respected, but that does not mean we have no right to disagree,” she said.
“An appeal will be filed because judicial errors have been identified. The presumption of innocence is respected, but it does not remove the right of the prosecution to seek review,” Evthyvoulou said.
Evthyvoulou said the Law Office had studied both the majority and minority judgements, noting that the dissenting judge found the evidence sufficient to convict on one of the three charges.
What do you think the appeal could change in the handling of evidence and judicial reasoning in this case?
