The acquittal of former parliamentary speaker Demetris Syllouris and former MP Christakis Giovanis in the golden passports case is “very negative” for the prosecution, lawyer Achilles Emilianides said on Tuesday.
Speaking to philenews after the Permanent Criminal Court of Nicosia delivered its verdict, Emilianides said the ruling “speaks for itself” and that it now remains to be seen whether an appeal will be filed.
The prosecution, he said, failed to present sufficient evidence to prove the serious charges under investigation.
The court’s 170-page ruling dismantled all three charges against the two men, finding that none could be proven. The court itself took aim at the prosecution, pointing to the unexplained absence of key witnesses.
The case stems from an Al Jazeera undercover investigation into Cyprus’s golden passports scheme.
When the verdict was read out, relatives of the two men erupted in cheers and applause.
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