Prosecution adds 25 charges in Cyprus citizenship-by-investment trial

On September 14, 2026, the prosecution formally requested an amendment to the indictment in the ongoing citizenship-by-investment trial before the Nicosia Criminal Court. The case involves ten defendants, including former Transport Minister Marios Demetriades. The requested amendment introduces 25 additional charges specifically targeting defendants 2, 3, 4, 5, and 9.

Following the prosecution's request, the scheduled commencement of the hearing was postponed. Defense attorney Ilias Stefanou requested time to review the new charges, leading the court to schedule a session for September 23 at 10:00 to address the modification. The substantive trial hearings have been rescheduled for October 19, 20, and 21. The current defendants, facing charges including bribery, conspiracy, VAT fraud, and money laundering, also include Andreas Demetriades, Dimitris Demetriades, Giorgos Demetriades, Eleni Symmilidi, Jing Wang, Josef Friedrich Santin, Vasiliki Georgiou-Santin, and the firms Andreas Demetriades & Co LLC and Delsk (Cyprus). Prosecutors maintain that the addition of these charges, which were provided to the defense in advance, will not significantly disrupt the early stages of the legal proceedings.