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61. An EU-wide ban on 'golden passports' and the Ukrainian crisis on the agenda

The European Parliament is scheduled to have its plenary session this week from the 7th to the 10th of March in Strasbourg. On the agenda will be, most importantly, the Ukrainian issue as well as a discussion on an EU-wide ban on citizenship by investment schemes....

62. Supreme Court settles golden passports legal saga

The Supreme Court in the Republic of Cyprus says a Parliament attempt last year to restrict the attorney general's role in a golden passport probe outcome was unconstitutional, after lawmakers had raised conflicts of interest for the state's chief law enforcer and his deputy...

63. Extradition case in Cyprus gets political

Cyprus is in the middle of a politically-charged extradition battle where a mother and son wanted by Chinese authorities are getting support from an American organization backed by Donald Trump’s former advisor...

64. Cyprus awaits Brussels decision on golden passports

The President’s Cabinet in the Republic of Cyprus has approved at least 390 golden passport applications despite European warnings after the program was scrapped last year, with Interior Minister Nicos Nouris saying he has already explained the logic to the European Commission but hasn’t heard back yet...

65. Jiu Jitsu producers file new lawsuit

The producers and director of the film Jiu Jitsu are suing the Republic of Cyprus, the Auditor General, the Cyprus Investment Promotion Agency and a television station for compensation in excess of 30 million euros...

66. 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...

67. Nicosia reacts to new Al Jazeera video

Nicosia has refuted allegations concerning a Cypriot minister and his trips to London, in reaction to an Al Jazeera secret investigation into how convicted criminals could take on new identities and launder money through ownership of English football clubs by deceiving authorities...

68. Al Jazeera publishes prequel to The Cyprus Papers

A new documentary by Al Jazeera on football corruption in Britain includes allegations that a Cypriot minister flew to London to arrange paperwork at a consular office for a Russian national who was wanted by Interpol and unable to travel under his real name...

69. 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...

70. 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...

71. Legal battle heats up in golden passports

The top two chief law enforcers in the Republic of Cyprus are taking the parliament to court over a resolution, in which members called on the two officials to recuse themselves in the golden passport probe after raising conflict of interest issues...

72. Syllouris declines questions in passport probe

A former Cypriot parliamentary speaker secretly filmed in an expose on a now discredited cash-for-passports scheme declined to answer questions on Wednesday into his role in a scandal which rocked the island nation...

73. Stars in Al Jazeera video face committee

74. 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...

75. 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...

76. 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'...

77. Cyprus hurries to clean up company registry

Energy Minister Natasa Pilides has called on business stakeholders in Cyprus to embrace a new effort of recording and updating true information about beneficiaries of companies, saying a new digital registry can bolster transparency on the island...

78. When the lights of the Palace begin to dim

The testimonies of 2013, say that in those critical days of the savings levy, there was a crowd of people on the hill of the presidential palace....

79. 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...

80. 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...

81. 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...

82. Teacher ready to sue over Twitter search

A teacher who won an appeal following an unlawful police search, in connection with a Twitter parody account complaint filed by Justice Minister Emily Yiolitis, has vowed to sue the state saying she was targeted because of her activism...

83. President lashes out at critics

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades in a televised address on Thursday rejected allegations of corruption within his office and administration, accusing the opposition and media of singling out his former law firm for being involved with golden passports and appealing on the political parties’ patriotism to support a new strategic plan to fight corruption...

84. 15 law firms being audited for involvement in 'golden passports'

Interesting new details on the involvement of law firms in the island’s disgraced citizenship-by-investment programme were presented before the Investigative Committee by the head of the Cyprus Bar Association, Christos Clerides....

85. Lawyer says Al Jazeera took him out of context

Cypriot attorney Andreas Pittadjis, who was targeted in an Al Jazeera undercover investigation into allegations of corruption over golden passports, took to social media to reiterate his position he did nothing illegal, accusing the foreign network of being dishonest...

86. Dueling small parties help pass budget

The House in the Republic of Cyprus approved a revision of the government’s 2021 state budget on Thursday, following a month of consultations between the administration and small opposition parties that offered additional amendments to the bill...

87. Former FinMin tells passport probe he shares part of blame

Former Finance Minister Harris Georgiades told the independent investigative committee probing the citizenships by exception granted via the Republic’s nixed ‘golden passports’ program that “as a member of the Council of Ministers, I have a portion of the blame”. ...

88. 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...

89. President dares editor to prove allegations

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades has called on journalist Andreas Paraschos to show proof or admit he was wrong, after the news editor claimed the commander-in-chief had chosen money from golden passports over chances of a swift resolution to the division of the island...

90. Top editor quits over Anastasiades claim

A renowned journalist and editor-in-chief at Kathimerini Cyprus has resigned his post amid backlash from a piece he wrote on Sunday, where he claimed Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades let slip information that he had been flying millions generated from golden passports to the Seychelles on private flights...