Trial involving former Transport Minister Marios Demetriades rescheduled to 2026

The criminal trial regarding citizenship applications, involving former Transport Minister Marios Demetriades and nine other defendants, has been postponed by the Nicosia Permanent Assize Court due to a heavy workload. The proceedings were scheduled to begin today but have been rescheduled for July 14, 2026, at 09:30 AM. In total, eight natural persons and two legal entities are facing charges including influence peddling, bribery, corruption, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, and violation of the Council of Europe Convention on the Criminalization of Corruption. The individual defendants include Andreas Demetriades, Dimitris Demetriades, Giorgos Demetriades, Eleni Simillidi, Jing Wang, Josef Friedrich Santin, and Vasiliki Georgiou-Santin. The legal entities charged are Andreas Demetriades & Co LLC and Delsk (Cyprus) Business Services Ltd. Additionally, the court will address preliminary issues raised by the defense on July 24, 2026, at 09:30 AM. These issues include a request for information from the Attorney General regarding potential immunity or preferential treatment agreements granted to a key prosecution witness. All defendants maintain the presumption of innocence until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.