A Cypriot court has acquitted former parliamentary speaker Demetris Syllouris and ex-lawmaker Christakis Tziovannis of corruption charges tied to a scrapped citizenship-for-investment scheme. The three-judge Criminal Court in Nicosia ruled that prosecutors failed to prove intent or establish involvement in fraud, despite public outrage and European Union scrutiny.

The case stemmed from undercover footage aired by Al Jazeera in 2020 showing Syllouris and Tziovannis discussing ways to help a fictitious investor with a criminal record obtain a Cypriot passport. Both officials had pleaded not guilty and stepped down from their positions following the scandal. The scrapped programme had issued more than 7,000 passports between 2007 and 2020, particularly popular with Russian and Chinese investors.

A state inquiry later found the approvals were granted under procedures lacking adequate oversight while ignoring warnings from the European Union. The acquittal comes despite evidence of systemic issues in the scheme, raising questions about accountability in Cyprus's political system. The decision may impact ongoing discussions about strengthening governance and transparency measures in the Mediterranean nation.