On October 2, the naturalization case—in which the defendant is, among others, the former Minister of Transportation, Marios Dimitriadis, is among the defendants, in order to determine whether further clarification is needed regarding the new charges added to the indictment, while the trial is scheduled to begin on October 19.
During today’s hearing, defense attorney Elias Stefanou informed the Court that the defense had requested, in a letter dated September 17, for specific details regarding the charges and that just yesterday afternoon it received a response from the prosecution, which, as he said, on the one hand clarifies certain points, but on the other hand broadens the scope of the case with regard to three charges.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Mr. Stefanou stated that in order to avoid delaying the proceedings, his clients are prepared to respond to the charges today; however, he requested an interim hearing date prior to the start of the trial, so that it can be determined whether the issue should be fully clarified before the hearing or whether it can be addressed as part of the ongoing proceedings.
“Some things are being clarified, but there is a specific reference stating that it is not limited to just those,” he said.
The Presiding Judge noted that the defense is limited to counts 82, 83, and 84, with Mr. Stefanos clarifying that he wishes to examine whether the content of the prosecution’s response should form part of the details that will be binding on the prosecution.
For her part, the Senior Counsel for the Republic, Haris Karaolidou, stated that all necessary details have been provided so that the defendants are aware of the charges they face.
She explained that the general nature of the prosecution’s statement is due to the fact that the legal basis for the charges includes the relevant provisions of the law upon which the case is based.
As she stated, illustrative evidence supporting the details has been provided, with reference also to the witness testimony, without these illustrative references limiting the prosecution.
Ms. Karaolidou also expressed the view that, based on the content of the charges and their details, the defendants have full knowledge of both the charges they face and the prosecution’s case.
After hearing both sides, the Court set an interim hearing for October 2, 2026, at 9:30 a.m., while the next hearing was scheduled for October 19, 2026, at 9:30 a.m.
The New Charges
During today’s proceedings, the prosecution read the new charges, to which the defendants in question pleaded not guilty.
In total, with the recent amendment to the indictment, charges 60 through 84 have been added—that is, 24 new charges—which affect the defendants Andreas Dimitriadis, Dimitris Dimitriadis, Giorgos Dimitriadis, and Eleni Symmillidi.
The last three charges concern issues arising from financial transactions by three investors and relate to obligations regarding the prevention and combating of money launderingactivities.
This specific aspect had also been raised during the previous hearing, when Mr. Stefanou had characterized the last three charges as “of an entirely different nature,” noting that clarifications might be necessary.
The addition of the new charges had led to the postponement of the scheduled start of the trial. The Prosecution had stated that the new charges stem from the same context and sequence of events as the existing charges and are supported by the existing evidence.
At the previous hearing, the prosecution had also requested the addition of three witnesses; the defense raised no objection to this request, and the Court granted permission.
A total of ten individuals are charged in the case—eight natural persons and two legal entities—including former Minister of Transport Marios Dimitriadis.
In addition to Marios Dimitriadis, the defendants include Andreas Dimitriadis, Dimitris Dimitriadis, Giorgos Dimitriadis, Eleni Symmillidi, Jing Wang, Josef Friedrich Santin, Vasiliki Georgiou-Santin, as well as the companies Andreas Demetriades & Co LLC and Delsk (Cyprus) Business Services Ltd.
The defendants face, among other things, charges related to influence peddling, bribery, extortion, conspiracy to defraud, conspiracy, VAT fraud offenses, money laundering, and violation of the Council of Europe Convention on the Criminalization of Corruption.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by the Court.
Source: CNA
