Akel: Spy van ruling a ‘scandal of multiple coverups’

Akel accused the state of a “scandal of multiple coverups” on Monday, after the anti-corruption authority announced it had ended its investigation into the spy van affair without publishing its findings. Akel said evidence submitted to the House and before the courts showed the operation of a system capable of mass surveillance and illegal wiretapping, and that officials had been aware of illegal surveillance linked to specific companies. The party claimed state agencies and politically connected individuals were allegedly involved in the activities, and strongly criticised the legal service for suspending criminal prosecution of the case’s central figures by citing the public interest. Akel pointed to the anti-corruption authority’s own announcement earlier on Monday, in which it said the legal service had prevented it from investigating further, and accused authorities of a “permanent attitude of obstructing investigations.” Related Articles • Anti-corruption authority ends ‘spy van’ investigation • Anti-corruption authority to issue announcement on spy van case • Akel leader calls for reopening of spy van investigation • Tal Dilian convicted in Greece over Predator spyware scandal The party further remarked that findings from independent criminal investigator Elias Stefanou had still not been made public, despite recommendations from the European Parliament that they should be. “Supposed public interest cannot be an alibi for covering up such a serious matter,” the party said. The anti-corruption authority confirmed on Monday that it had closed its investigation into the affair, which centres on Tal Dilian, the former chief commander of the Israeli military’s secret technology unit and former chief executive of WiSpear, the company that operated a van believed to be fitted with surveillance equipment. It said Transparency Commissioner Harris Poyiadjis had approved partial disclosure of information given the matter’s public interest, though further details could not be released owing to its classification as confidential. The authority said the case originated from a complaint filed in 2023 by then auditor general Odysseas Michaelides. Following developments and the publication of a book on the subject by a Cypriot journalist in June, the authority said it decided to extend its investigation into all related incidents and notified Attorney General George Savvides of its intentions. It said an exchange of letters and a lengthy meeting at the legal service followed, after which the legal service informed the authority that “everything that the authority wished to investigate had already been investigated by the competent authorities”, a position it said left it unable to proceed. The legal service has disputed this account, saying the authority had informed it by classified letter on July 16 of its intention to investigate specific aspects of the case which did not concern the legal service’s own handling. It argued the authority itself decided to terminate the investigation, without instruction from the legal service. Lawyer Simos Angelides said that the law prohibits only parallel criminal investigations and does not prevent the authority from investigating after another procedure has concluded. He pointed to the case of former Edek leader Marinos Sizopoulos, where the authority proceeded with its own investigation after police procedures had already concluded. The spy van affair has run alongside a series of other corruption complaints against Deputy Attorney General Savvas Angelides that have been rejected by the authority in recent months. These include complaints over the suspension of prosecutions against former clients of Angelides, where independent investigators found nothing objectionable in two of three cases examined. A separate complaint concerning the tax handling of a company linked to individuals with public influence was also rejected, as was one concerning the suspension of prosecutions of five defendants in a public contract case. A complaint alleging Angelides failed to declare a company purchase in his own wealth declarations was referred to parliament, which declined to investigate further, and allegations concerning his role in golden passport naturalisations were likewise examined and dismissed. A further seven complaints against the legal service and police, concerning an unrelated company matter, were rejected over the summer. One complaint against Angelides, submitted by a former military officer relating to his time as defence minister, remains pending with investigators appointed but no outcome announced. Dilian originally faced criminal proceedings in Cyprus, which Savvides suspended in 2021, with WiSpear receiving a €76,000 fine.