Antonis Antoniou, a senior lawyer formerly employed by the Giovani Group, was acquitted on Tuesday of all charges related to alleged illegal naturalisations exposed by news organisation Al Jazeera.
His acquittal followed the legal service’s decision to suspend the charges due to a key prosecution witness, Anthony Kay, refusing to testify.
Prosecution lawyer Charis Karaolidou informed the court that Kay had submitted a written statement declaring that he “did not see and was not aware of any offence related to the defendants,” contradicting his previous statements to the police.
Given that counts 4 and 5 of the indictment relied heavily on the testimonies of Kay and Al Jazeera journalist Sarah Yeo (who also declined to testify) Ms. Karaolidou, the Spokesperson of the Prosecuting Authority, announced that the Attorney General had decided to suspend these charges.
Meanwhile, former House President Demetris Syllouris and ex-Akel MP Christakis Giovanis remain on trial, facing serious charges, including conspiracy to subvert the Republic and attempting to influence a public official, in violation of anti-corruption laws.
Initially, four individuals stood accused in this case. Antoniou, Giovani, and Syllouris were joined in the dock by lawyer Andreas Pittadjis, who gained notoriety for his infamous remark, “This is Cyprus,” during the documentary. Pittadjis was acquitted in 2023 and subsequently served as Antoniou’s defence lawyer.
The scandal came to light in October 2020 when Al Jazeera aired an almost hour-long exposé, prompting both Syllouris and Giovanis to resign from their positions.
The documentary featured undercover journalists posing as agents representing a fictitious Chinese businessman with a criminal record, seeking Cypriot citizenship. Despite the businessman’s criminal background, Syllouris, Giovanis, and others appeared willing to facilitate his application.
In response to the revelations, the Cypriot government “definitively and irrevocably terminated” the controversial citizenship-by-investment scheme (more commonly known as the Golden Passports scheme) in November 2020. The European Union subsequently initiated legal proceedings against Cyprus, alleging that the programme had been exploited to grant passports to questionable individuals.
A damning report put together by a probe committee headed by former supreme court judge Myron Nikolatos said over half (53%) of the 6,779 golden passports were granted illegally, encouraged by a due diligence vacuum or insufficient background checks. In light of these findings, the government has since begun the process of revoking the citizenships of individuals who obtained them improperly.
Antoniou’s acquittal marks a significant development in the ongoing legal proceedings, while the remaining defendants continue to face serious charges.
The case has drawn widespread scrutiny, underscoring concerns over corruption and the integrity of Cyprus’ disgraced Golden Passports scheme.
