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31. Israelis applying for French citizenship skyrocketed after November elections

Following the November elections, which saw the installation of the country's most right-wing and religious government to date, the French embassy in Israel saw a 13 percent increase in applications for citizenship....

32. Lawyer Andreas Pittadjis denies all charges in 'golden passport' trial

Based on the findings of the Nicolatos Committee, the four defendants in the criminal case involving Al Jazeera news network reporting and the events surrounding the naturalization of foreign investors and businessmen were brought before the Nicosia Permanent Criminal Court....

33. AG files appeal against acquittal in first 'golden passport' trial

The Attorney General of the Republic filed an appeal on Friday against the acquittal decision of the Larnaca Permanent Criminal Court, issued on November 4, 2022, in connection with a case involving the exceptional naturalization of foreign investors and businessmen....

34. Eliades: 'Cyprus a haven for every kind of illegal activity' thanks to government

The preliminary findings of the report issued by the PEGA investigation committee, the works carried out at the Limassol Municipal Garden, and the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zones between Cyprus and Greece were the subject of press releases issued by presidential candidates on Wednesday....

35. Defendants acquitted in first 'golden passports' trial

Nine defendants—5 people and 4 legal entities—were cleared and released from the 36 charges they were facing in the case involving the exceptional naturalization of foreign applicants by the Larnaca-Famagusta Permanent Criminal Court, which convened today, Friday, November 4. This decision was based on the Kalogeros ruling....

36. Evidence from defendants' computers and phones excluded from trial

Following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the court order to search Christakis Tziovanis and Antonis Antoniou's telecommunications data, an important development has occurred in the Al Jazeera case....

37. AKEL calls out DISY on investor contributions

The second meeting of the Audit Committee, with the report of the Auditor General of the Republic on the Cyprus Investment Programme being the only item on the agenda, confirmed that the Golden Passports will be at the forefront of the opposition's election campaign. In an inkling of what's to come, AKEL seems to be leading the way in keeping corruption issues at the center of the opposition's discourse during this election season. ...

38. AG: 'Lawyers vouched for the character of their applicants, a criminal offense'

The extraordinary session of the Parliamentary Audit Committee is underway which will examine the findings of the Audit Service's report on the Cyprus Investment Program....

39. Cyprus Investment Program problematic from the start

Much ink has been spilled over the Cyprus Investment Program (CIP). From its inception in 2017 until its abolition, the CIP was a scheme wherein the Cyprus Government granted Cypriot citizenship to investors, "golden passports" as it is well-known....

40. Interior Ministry aware passport applications did not meet criteria

In the Audit Service's report on the naturalization program, references are made to the manner in which passports were granted, stressing that there were cases in which the Ministry was aware that there were applications that did not meet the criteria, characterizing its approval as illegal....

41. Fair State. Five proposals to fight corruption

In the Cyprus of 2022, corruption has permeated all levels of our society. The extent of the problem needs to be ascertained first. Then, the diagnosis of its causes. Finally, but most importantly, the specific proposals to combat it....

42. Four individuals charged with conspiracy in Al Jazeera expose

Four individuals have been charged with conspiracy and will appear before a criminal court in September for their role in granting citizenship to foreign investors who didn't quite meet the criteria....

43. Cabinet ends citizenship ordeal for mixed couple’s kids

The President’s Cabinet has granted citizenship to two siblings from a bicommunal mixed family, following criticism that their applications for identification cards were caught in a political stalemate for having a Turkish grandfather...

44. Cyprus frets ‘pandoramonium’ overshadowing good work

The Cypriot finance ministry says a European Parliament resolution on Pandora Papers and subsequent criticism by local opposition is overshadowing the amount of good work that has been done on the island against illegal activities, as some parties are calling on the president to step down...

45. Cyprus wants clean slate in naturalizations

The government in the Republic of Cyprus has laid out a new blueprint for naturalizations of foreign investors and skilled immigrants, pointing to a departure from the country’s disgraced golden passport scheme while respecting the EU position on citizenship criteria...

46. Jho Low wanted to be a Cypriot banker

A British investigative journalist told an audience in Nicosia that Cypriot-naturalized financier Jho Low had tried to use contacts with Kuwaitis to buy a bank on the island where the Malaysian fugitive could launder stolen money...

47. Legal defends blacked out passport report

The Legal department in the Republic of Cyprus has issued its final report on golden passports, but its decision to include privacy issues as a reason to black out information has come under media scrutiny...

48. Cyprus’ passport committee issues final report

Over half of the golden passports approved by the President’s Cabinet in the Republic of Cyprus were illegal, a special committee has found, and it is now up to the attorney general to ascertain whether any ministers may have had fraudulent intent...

49. Stars in Al Jazeera video face committee

50. Director wants passport probe clear his name

A civil servant, whose name was dropped by the former House speaker during a secret video recording by Al Jazeera, says he did not get involved with golden passports during his tenure as director of the interior ministry, vowing to take legal action if an investigative committee failed to clear his name...

51. Interim report on golden passports delivered

An interim report on the golden passport scandal in the Republic of Cyprus says just over half of citizenships granted by the executive branch were not approved lawfully...

52. Gloves are off again over golden passports

Cyprus’ auditor general told a House committee this week that the Cabinet used old rules to approve over two hundred golden passports after the cutoff date for an investigation ordered by the attorney general, who pushed back on the criticism saying there was 'no bottom to the abyss'...

53. Former AG says he cautioned over passports

The state’s former attorney general says his department had cautioned the government years ago that the country’s golden passport scheme might have been incompatible with European law, essentially contradicting the executive branch's position that nobody had said anything...

54. President blames CIP failure on recklessness

Cyprus’ disgraced Citizenship by Investment Programme took a heavy toll after it was 'recklessly promoted' overseas, according to President Nicos Anastasiades, who testified on Tuesday before an independent committee, while telling reporters later that he would not revisit the matter until after probe findings are concluded...

55. Cyprus president testifies on golden passports

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades is expected to testify on Tuesday before the independent committee probing corruption allegations in the country’s golden passport scheme, just days after he lashed out at critics during a national address on the fight against corruption...

56. Reporters to sit in on golden passport hearings

A number of reporters will be allowed from now on to attend ongoing probe hearings into alleged corruption in connection with Cyprus’ disgraced Citizenship by Investment Programme, with journalists being asked to commit in advance not to breach data privacy laws...

57. Report says ministry was shuffling papers

An initial redacted report on golden passports made public in the Republic of Cyprus on Tuesday painted a picture of an Interior Ministry serving as a “filing office” without ability to examine cases in any meaningful way, with opposition crying foul over the committees’ selective method...

58. Redacted report on golden passports published

A redacted version of the Kalogerou report on golden passports is expected to be made public on Tuesday afternoon, amid criticism of the government from opposition parties calling for transparency in probing corruption allegations...

59. DIKO raises conflict of interest for AG

DIKO president Nicholas Papadopoulos has raised concerns over conflicts of interest for the state’s attorney general in connection with a golden passports investigation, following a statement from the Presidential Palace on publicizing some findings but not in their entirety...

60. Government ups rhetoric against auditor

The Cypriot government hinted over the weekend it might refer the auditor general to the Supreme Court over “indecent” behaviour, after the audit office published yet another damning report alleging offences in a Cabinet decision to grant investor passports to individuals linked to a casino project without meeting the criteria...