The Nicosia Criminal Court postponed the “golden passports” trial to January 13, 2025, in the proceedings against former House Speaker Demetris Syllouris, former AKEL MP Christakis Giovani, and Giovani Group executive Antonis Antoniou.
The defendants face charges of conspiracy to defraud the Republic and influencing public officials. The court will meet on December 16 to finalize trial preparations.
The case represents one of several major legal proceedings, including charges against former Transport Minister Marios Demetriades for over 50 corruption-related counts. The court will meet on December 16 to finalize trial preparations.
Ministry confirms 86 revocations, but shields names
The Interior Ministry confirmed 86 citizenship revocations between September 2013 and August 2024 but rejected MP Alexandra Attalides’ parliamentary request to identify these individuals.
The Ministry claims disclosing names could compromise ongoing investigations by the Police and Anti-Corruption Authority, citing data protection regulations and active court cases.
While the Ministry did not detail whether all the 86 revocations were all investors or included family members, it is safe to assume it is the former, as the government had announced in January 2023 that it had rescinded a total of 222 citizenships, 63 of which were investors and 159 were family members.
Another high-profile revocation
One of those names, however, slipped through the cracks. Roman Kazimierz Ziemian, according to Phile News, lost his citizenship following his arrest on August 17 in Montenegro. Interpol officers found Ziemian at the Master Quarter residential complex, where he lived under a false identity.
The Polish national, who acquired citizenship with his family in August 2019 and later changed their surname to Hortman, faces international warrants from South Korea and Poland over alleged involvement in a $21 million digital currency fraud through the FutureNet platform.
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The case follows August’s revocation of ten citizenships, affecting three investors and seven dependents. Earlier revocations included Russian oligarchs Konstantin Grigorishin and Igor Kesaev in June, as well as Malaysian businessman Jho Low over his connection to the 1MDB scandal.
Ziemian faces potential life imprisonment in South Korea, while Polish allegations carry up to ten years. Cypriot law punishes money laundering with up to 14 years imprisonment or a €500,000 fine.
Warsaw Interpol authorized Cypriot authorities to use warrant information in citizenship revocation proceedings, as the extradition process will likely exceed one year.
The citizenship by investment program closed in 2020 after an Al Jazeera investigation exposed systemic abuse. Investigations revealed conflicts of interest, influence peddling, and fraudulent property agreements with inflated investment amounts.
Of the 6,779 citizenships granted between 2007 and 2020, 51% went to unqualified applicants, prompting authorities to launch a probe into 100 “problematic” cases.
A July 2024 Administrative Court ruling now allows rejected applicants to challenge denials, overturning the government’s claim of immunity from judicial oversight, adding another layer of complexity to the Cypriot citizenship by investment landscape.
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Ahmad Abbas is Director of Content Services at Investment Migration Insider and an 8-year veteran of the investment migration industry.