The State Legal Service faces new questions. This is about its work in a big case. The case ended with no guilty verdicts. Former House President Demetris Syllouris was not found guilty. Ex-Akel MP Christakis Giovanis was also cleared. They were accused in the "golden passports" scandal. This scandal involved giving citizenship to rich foreigners. Lawyer Elias Stephanou wants answers. He asked the legal service to explain its strategy. This is especially about witnesses who did not speak in court.
More concerns arose from reports. Some people were believed to be involved in crimes. They first changed their stories to police. However, they were reportedly not called to testify. Questions also exist about giving protection to some witnesses. These witnesses may have been part of illegal citizenship plans. They also changed their earlier statements. Therefore, people want more openness. They also want a full review of how the case was managed.
The State Legal Service will appeal the acquittals. However, the appeal will only look at legal points. It will not re-examine witness credibility. This decision was already made by the first court. This shows the legal difficulties. It also shows the limited ways to challenge the first trial's findings.
New leaders are now in the Attorney General's office. George Savvides is the new Attorney General. Savvas Angelides is the Deputy Attorney General. President Nicos Anastasiades spoke about their new jobs. He said they must be very honest and have good judgment. He also said they need a lot of legal knowledge. The President wants faster legal cases. He wants the justice system to work better.
Mr. Stephanou expects the legal service to reflect. "The legal service must explain its actions," he said. He added, "It must take a position on how witnesses were handled." This is because they changed their earlier statements. The attention on the State Legal Service shows the importance of the acquittals.