The Cyprus Papers was a

leak A leak is a way (usually an opening) for fluid to escape a container or fluid-containing system, such as a tank or a ship's hull, through which the contents of the container can escape or outside matter can enter the container. Leaks are usually ...

of government documents related to the Cyprus Investment Program (CIP) obtained by

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...

and released in August 2020. The CIP allows non-citizens to apply and obtain a

Cypriot passport Cypriot passports are issued to citizens of Cyprus. Every Cypriot citizen is also a Commonwealth citizen and a citizen of the European Union. The Cypriot passport, along with the Cypriot identity card, allows for free rights of movement and reside ...

by investing at least 2 million Euros in Cyprus. The passports obtained through the CIP are nicknamed "Golden Passports". Al Jazeera conducted an investigation based on the leaked papers and allegedly found that the Republic of

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...

provided citizenship through the CIP to several people linked to crime and corruption. On the 12th of October 2020, Al Jazeera released a video of an under-cover investigation related to the Cyprus Papers. In the video, Al Jazeera reveals how Cypriot lawyers, business people and top-tier politicians are willing to aid and abet convicted criminals to obtain Cypriot citizenship, granting the criminals access to the European Union's internal markets and visa-free travel. People appeared in the video included, among others, Cyprus Speaker of the House of Representatives

Demetris Syllouris Demetris Syllouris ( el, Δημήτρης Συλλούρης; tr, Dimitris Şilluris; born 27 July 1953) is a Greek-Cypriot politician. He is the former president of the Cypriot parliament and was the leader of the European Party between 2005 ...

, Member of Parliament Christakis Giovanis, lawyer Andreas G. Pittadjis and Antonis Antoniou property executive of Giovannis Group. Notably in the video, Demetris Syllouris meets with Al Jazeera's under-cover journalists posing as representatives of an actually non-existing Chinese businessman and convicted money-launderer who seeks to obtain a Cyprus passport via the CIP. In the video footage, Syllouris promises to give his support so that the Chinese businessman receives Cypriot citizenship, even though providing citizenship to convicted criminals is against the requirements of CIP and the Cypriot law. In response to Al Jazeera's accusations, Syllouris claimed that he was actually playing along with the rest of the people shown in the video to gather more information about the criminal Chinese businessman and to finally report the case to the Cyprus authorities. Al Jazeera's video sparked protests in the capital of Cyprus, Nicosia. The protesters demanded a full, prompt and transparent investigation and the immediate resignation of President of the House of Representatives Demetris Syllouris and Member of Parliament Christakis Giovanis. As a result, both Demetris Syllouris and Christakis Giovanis resigned from their posts. Furthermore, the Cyprus government announce that it would abolish the CIP from November 2020. In September 2022, the four men that appeared in the Al Jazeera video, were ordered to stand for trial in the criminal court of Nicosia.

References

{{Reflist Al Jazeera Nationality in Cyprus Politics of Cyprus News leaks