The trial in Cyprus’ high-profile naturalisation case has been postponed to March 2026, after the Nicosia Permanent Criminal Court adjourned proceedings due to an overloaded schedule.
The case involves former transport minister Marios Demetriades, along with several other defendants, and had been due to begin on Friday.
Court cites workload
Announcing the delay, the presiding judge said the court’s programme did not allow the hearing to proceed as planned.
“Unfortunately, today’s schedule does not permit this case to be heard,” the judge said, confirming that a new date would be set.
The trial is now scheduled to begin on March 9, 2026, at 09:30.
Defence seeks faster process
Lawyers for the defence indicated a willingness to cooperate in order to streamline the proceedings. Petros Stavrou said the defence is open to agreeing on admitted facts with the prosecution, a move that could help reduce the length and complexity of the trial.
Another defence lawyer, Elias Stefanou, drew attention to the scale of the case, describing the evidence as “extremely extensive”. He suggested that it would be useful to clarify in advance which documents, whether physical or digital, the prosecution intends to rely on.
Stefanou also asked for further clarification on the charge of conspiracy to defraud, saying the defence would prefer to hear the prosecution’s position before the evidentiary stage begins.
Prosecution response
Responding to the defence, prosecutor Charis Karolidou said the prosecution is open to reaching agreements on admitted facts, if this is considered appropriate by all sides. She added that a joint statement could be prepared and submitted to the court to help limit the amount of court time required.
However, she made clear that the prosecution cannot commit in advance to excluding specific pieces of evidence, stressing that the hearing process is “a live procedure” and may evolve as the trial unfolds.
Defendants and charges
The case involves a total of ten defendants, eight individuals and two companies, who face a range of charges. These include influence peddling, bribery, corruption, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, and breaches of the Council of Europe convention on the criminalisation of corruption.
In addition to Demetriades, those charged are Andreas Demetriades, Dimitris Demetriades, Giorgos Demetriades, Eleni Simillidi, Jing Wang, Josef Friedrich Santin, Vasiliki Georgiou-Santin, as well as the companies Andreas Demetriades & Co LLC and Delsk (Cyprus) Business Services Ltd.
Source: CNA