The hearing in the high-profile naturalization case began on Monday before the Nicosia Permanent Criminal Court with the presentation of evidence; among those accused are, among others, former Minister of Transport Marios Dimitriadis.
The first prosecution witness to testify was Police Officer A.A. from the Headquarters Criminal Investigation Department, who confirmed her written testimony and presented a series of documents to the court as evidence.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
This evidence consists primarily of documents related to the naturalization of individuals from Cambodia and China who had obtained Cypriot passports.
One of the defense attorneys, Elias Stefanou, informed the court of his intention to raise an objection to specific pieces of evidence, which are expected to be presented at upcoming hearings. The next hearing is scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, at 9:30 a.m.
It should be noted that the case concerns the Cypriot investment citizenship program and the procedures for granting passports to foreign investors. A total of ten individuals—eight natural persons and two legal entities—are charged in the case.
Among the defendants are former Minister of Transport Marios Dimitriadis, his father Andreas Dimitriadis, as well as Dimitris Dimitriadis, George Demetriades, Eleni Symillidi, Jing Wang, Josef Friedrich Santin, and Vasiliki Georgiou Santin. Along with the individuals, the companies Andreas Demetriades & Co LLC and Delsk (Cyprus) Business Services Ltd are also named as defendants.
The indictment includes serious offenses such as corruption, extortion, bribery, and influence peddling, as well as conspiracy to defraud. At the same time, the defendants face charges of tax offenses related to VAT, as well as money laundering.
It should be noted that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty by the court.
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Source: CNA
