Former Anastasiades minister testifies for prosecution in ‘Al Jazeera golden passports’ ca
Source: in-cyprus.com
Nicosia Criminal Court has ruled that former government minister Constantinos Petrides will testify as a prosecution witness in a golden passports corruption trial involving former parliament speaker Demetris Syllouris and ex-AKEL MP Christakis Giovanis.
The three-judge panel unanimously decided to allow Petrides’s testimony after defence lawyers challenged whether he should appear as a prosecution or defence witness.
Petrides served successively as deputy minister to the president, interior minister and finance minister under former President Nikos Anastasiades (2013-2023), giving him knowledge of matters relating to the disputed citizenships of Gornoski and Armus.
Defence objects to prosecution witness status
Defence lawyers Christos Triantafyllides and Georgios Papaioannou argued that since the prosecution had indicated completion of its witness testimony, they had the right to summon Petridis as a defence witness.
Triantafyllides drew a comparison to an old Greek comedy film where a 75-year-old man promises to leave half his wealth to a 25-year-old woman he marries, then reneges after the wedding, saying, “I said what I said.”
Using this reference, Triantafyllides accused prosecutor Charis Karaolidou of changing position after learning the defence intended to call Petridis, characterising it as “blatant procedural abuse.”
Papaioannou argued the defence was “trapped by the prosecution’s inconsistent stance” and referenced the authority’s “erratic behaviour” since 15 May 2025, calling the prosecution’s new direction “abusive.”
Prosecution defends witness status
Karaolídou responded that “Mr Petrides has been in the indictment from the first day the case was filed” and explained he was always intended as a prosecution witness.
She expressed surprise at the defence’s “intense stance,” stating: “Mr Petrides will not mention anything new or different” and warning that preventing his testimony would result in “justice ultimately not being served.”
Karaolidou maintained that allowing his testimony “neither causes abuse nor offends” proper procedure, arguing that blocking it would constitute “procedural subversion.”
Court enables testimony
Court president Nikolas Georgiades announced the unanimous decision, explaining that Petrides was listed as a witness in the case indictment. While acknowledging the prosecution had previously referenced completing its witness list without mentioning Petrides, he noted “the case had not closed from the prosecution side, as the issue of admissible facts remained open.”
Following the ruling, Petrides appeared and began examination by Karaolidou after the court suggested his previous police statement be considered as read. A brief recess followed initial questioning.
Writer’s note
Philenews left the Court after the break, determining that since Constantinos Petrides’s testimony was not made available in a public proceeding, it could not provide journalistic coverage of the case. The publication of a trial is an integral part of justice administration. Under these circumstances, we departed.
Background
The Cyprus Citizenship by Investment (CIP) programme allowed wealthy foreigners to obtain Cypriot citizenship by investing at least €2 million in Cyprus. These passports, nicknamed “Golden Passports,” granted holders EU citizenship with the right to live, work and travel freely across all 27 EU member states and visa-free access to more than 170 countries.
The Al Jazeera investigation
The scandal was exposed by Al Jazeera’s investigative documentary “The Cyprus Papers Undercover,” released in October 2020. Undercover reporters posed as representatives of a fictitious wealthy Chinese criminal seeking to obtain a Cypriot passport through the investment programme.
In the undercover footage, former parliament speaker Demetris Syllouris was shown meeting with the fake representatives and promising to help the supposed criminal obtain citizenship, despite providing citizenship to convicted criminals being against CIP requirements and Cypriot law.
Al Jazeera’s investigation revealed that Cyprus had sold passports to dozens of people from more than 70 countries who were linked to crime and corruption, including convicted fraudsters, money launderers and political figures accused of corruption.
A 2021 government inquiry found that 53% of the 6,779 citizenships granted between 2007 and 2020 – the vast majority to Russians – were unlawful.
Within days of the documentary’s release, the passport scheme was cancelled, Syllouris and former MP Christakis Giovanis resigned, and the European Union and Cyprus government launched investigations. Thousands protested against corruption outside parliament in Nicosia.
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