Cyprus Mail 13 January 2025 - by Rebekah Gregoriades
The golden passport trial linked to the Al Jazeera documentary began on Monday, after a new request for another delay was rejected.
Explaining the decision, the judge said proceedings had been postponed repeatedly and, although the practical difficulties were acknowledged, it was deemed that the plea for a delay should be dismissed and the trial began on Monday.
The court gave time to the prosecution to call its first witness, which could be restricted to submitting evidence regarding the first three charges.
The next trial will be over ten days away to give time requested by the prosecution regarding the other two charges.
Former House president Demetris Syllouris, former Akel MP Christakis Giovanis and senior lawyer for the Giovanis Group Antonis Antoniou are facing charges, including conspiracy to subvert the Republic and influencing a public official in violation of the laws criminalising corruption.
State prosecutor Charis Karaolidou left the possibility of withdrawing two charges open, as two main witnesses were abroad and efforts to secure a testimony or bring them to court to testify have failed.
Karaolidou said one of the witnesses was facing health issues and could not travel from the UK. This witness, she said, had spoken of death threats received in messages, but it was not clear whether they were related to the Al Jazeera case.
Syllouris’ defence attorney Christos Triantafyllides said the defence of his client could “neither be threatened nor blackmailed”.
He reiterated that his client had been calling to be tried for four years, contrary to press reports alleging that Syllouris was seeking to postpone the case.
Triantafyllides objected to further postponing the case, unless the prosecution was ready to withdraw charges 4 and 5 due to the “disappearance of the journalists” of Al Jazeera.
He also reacted to references to threatening messages, clarifying that his client had “no idea about any threats” and calling on the attorney-general to investigate the allegations.
Giovanis’ lawyer George Papaioannou said his client had no knowledge of the claims put forward by the prosecution.
He agreed to the hearing being postponed for ten days, so as not to give the impression that the defence was trying to exploit the problems arising.
Andreas Pittadjis, representing Antoniou, said that the two witnesses “were partying on our backs and participating in demonstrations, but when the time came to testify they said they would not be coming to Cyprus to do so” and proposed a teleconference.
Pittadjis said his client was not involved in any threatening messages and did not object to the hearing being postponed.
