The Law Office will file an appeal against yesterday’s ruling by the Nicosia Permanent Criminal Court acquitting Demetris Syllouris and Christakis Giovanis in the golden passports case linked to an Al Jazeera exposé.
The 170-page majority judgment was examined in detail until late on Tuesday and it was decided that it should be challenged. The heads of the Law Office, in consultation with the lawyer who presented the case before the court, took into account that the verdict was delivered by majority and minority, while judicial errors were identified.
The decision to lodge the appeal is expected to be formally announced today, with the reasons to be set out, including what are described as incorrect findings regarding witnesses who were not called and alleged erroneous legal interpretations.
At a press conference held on Wednesday, the Law Office’s communications head Polina Efthivoulou said court decisions are respected but that this does not remove the right to disagree. She said an appeal will be filed because judicial errors have been identified and stressed that the presumption of innocence remains respected but does not affect the right to appeal.
Efthivoulou noted that in the minority opinion one of the judges had concluded that she would have convicted both defendants on one of the three charges. She said the ruling had led members of the public to raise questions, including why the video widely seen by the public was not presented as evidence.
She explained that the unedited video was handed over during the course of the proceedings and examined, but for any evidence to be presented in court it must be lawful. If it is the product of an unlawful act, it cannot be admitted. For that reason, she said, the prosecution relied on the testimony of individuals who took part in the recorded conversations.
Efthivoulou also referred to two individuals who had been witnesses in relation to counts four and five of the indictment, which were later suspended. One witness said she no longer resided in the Republic, while the second left the country suddenly in October 2024. One of them reported receiving threats to his life and cited health issues. The Attorney General, she said, had no option but to suspend those charges.
She said the Law Office could not remain silent in the face of what she described as attempts to undermine the work of public prosecutors. Every time prosecutors appear before a court, they represent the Republic, she said, adding that prisons are full because prosecutors work daily against organised crime and the underworld. She said they have faced bomb attacks and arson at court buildings and live under constant threat. Convictions, she stressed, are not an end in themselves.
Responding to a journalist’s question about the timing of the press conference, Efthivoulou said comments by journalists and political parties seeking to discredit criminal law officers were dangerous and worked against the justice system. She said if prosecutors do not have the strength to stand on the front line, the entire justice system would collapse, and called for protection and support rather than the dismissal of their work.
Senior Counsel of the Republic Andreas Aristides also addressed the press conference, describing as shameful a remark made during a television news bulletin that “The Legal Service is not known for its successes.”
The case stems from the now-terminated Cyprus Investment Programme, widely known as the golden passports scheme, which granted citizenship to foreign investors. The programme came under scrutiny after a 2020 undercover investigation by Al Jazeera based on leaked material.
In its ruling, the court made clear that the Al Jazeera footage was not admitted as evidence and could not be relied upon in reaching its verdict. The majority judgment acquitted both defendants of all charges.
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