Four defendants including ex-minister deny 25 new charges in Cyprus golden passport trial
Four defendants in the Cyprus golden passport case, including former transport minister Marios Demetriades, denied 25 new charges on Tuesday during proceedings at the Nicosia permanent criminal court. These additional charges involve money laundering allegations related to funds transferred by three investors and are seen by defense lawyer Elias Stefanou as distinct from the original indictment. Stefanou requested an interim hearing to clarify the details of the new charges after delayed prosecution responses.
State lawyer Haris Karaolidou countered that the defendants already possessed sufficient information and evidence to understand and respond to the charges, emphasizing that any general wording was due to legal constraints. The prosecution added that the new charges derive from the same events previously outlined in the case and indicated that three additional witnesses would be called.
A total of ten defendants, including eight individuals and two companies, face a broad range of charges such as influence peddling, bribery, extortion, conspiracy to defraud, VAT fraud, and money laundering. The court scheduled an interim hearing for next Friday ahead of the trial’s official start on October 19.
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