Four individuals charged in connection with the ‘golden passports scandal’ will stand trial on October 26, after the Nicosia District Court today referred the case to a criminal court.
The four appeared in Nicosia District Court on Monday to enter a plea. The trial was referred to as the charges are criminal in nature.
The accused face five counts on two charges – conspiracy to defraud the Republic, and influencing a public official in violation of the law that ratifies the Council of Europe Convention on the Criminalisation of Corruption.
They were exposed in a reportage made by the Al Jazeera network in late 2020.
Al Jazeera’s undercover video showed former House president Syllouris and former main opposition Akel MP Christakis Giovanis, one of his property development firm’s associates and a local lawyer, offering help to a pretend Chinese businessman with a criminal record to secure citizenship.
Last year the committee of inquiry here found that 53 per cent of the 6,779 citizenships granted overall were unlawful.
Ex parliamentary speaker, three others, enter plea on Monday in controversial passport scheme
