Guards cut for ex-speakers, widows after Law Office opinion

Local governmentparliamentpoliceTop News Guards cut for ex-speakers, widows after Law Office opinion Frouroi Id 1074815 1024x683 1 (1) Relevant News Guards cut for ex-speakers, widows after Law Office opinion 9 September 2026 Notorious Kinahan cartel linked to Cyprus twin murder plot, Irish Times investigation finds 9 September 2026 Paphos dam reserves surge as water shortage risk fades 9 September 2026 Michalis Hadjivasilis 9 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Police guards will be withdrawn entirely from four people, philenews understands: Yiannakis Omirou and Dimitris Syllouris, Cyprus’s two former House Presidents, and Elsi Christofias and Androulla Vasiliou, widows of two former Presidents. The guard detail for former President Nicos Anastasiades will also be reduced, though by how many officers has not yet been decided. The changes stem from a Law Office of the Republic opinion, sought after the guard-reduction issue stalled amid resistance from some of those affected. The opinion found that deciding who receives police protection is a matter for the Police, not the Cabinet, since the issue involves security matters that fall under Police authority, and removes the Cabinet from any role in approving political guard details. The Justice Ministry confirmed the change in a statement issued on September 8. The issue was first raised two months ago, when Justice and Public Order Minister Costas Fytiris set the precedent by giving up his own static guard. He personally asked the police chief to withdraw the six constables who had been assigned to round-the-clock protection at his home, and other measures have since been put in place. The three officers guarding the EDEK leader were also withdrawn, after Nikos Anastasiou resigned and the party failed to win seats in parliament. The wider review of who is entitled to police protection began after the recent parliamentary elections brought the ALMA Movement and Fidias Panayiotou’s Direct Democracy Cyprus (ADK) into parliament. A report from the Police Risk Assessment Committee is expected to be sent to the Justice Minister shortly, who will use it to decide whose guards are removed. According to the Justice Ministry, guarding political figures and state officials has been standard practice since the 1970s, requiring Cabinet approval even though this was never set out in law. It sought the Law Office’s opinion, the Ministry said, to clarify the legal framework and the responsibilities involved. Under that opinion, assessing risk levels and genuine protection needs falls within the Police’s institutional and operational responsibility. The Police carries out risk assessments through an established procedure and objective criteria, decides on the necessary protective measures, and forwards its findings and the Committee’s decisions directly to the Justice and Public Order Minister, without requiring Cabinet involvement. All existing guard details are being re-evaluated, the Ministry added, with protection measures adjusted to the assessed level of risk. Guarding will be ended or changed wherever the need for it is not substantiated, and reassessments will be carried out every six months or on an ad hoc basis when required. In practice, only those assessed to be at risk will keep police protection. Guard numbers currently stand at: former President Nicos Anastasiades, 12; Annita Demetriou, ten, as House President; Stefanos Stefanou, four; Nicolas Papadopoulos, three; Christos Christou, two; Marios Garoyan, two; Dimitris Syllouris, two; Yiannakis Omirou, two; Archbishop Georgios, two; Elsi Christofias, one; and Androulla Vasiliou, one. For Odysseas Michaelides and Fidias Panayiotou, the recommendation is that each be assigned two police officers, with the note that when Panayiotou, as an MEP, is away from Cyprus, his guards will take up duties at a police station. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Notorious Kinahan cartel linked to Cyprus twin murder plot, Irish Times investigation finds Paphos dam reserves surge as water shortage risk fades Cyprus twin murder plot followed ‘violence-as-a-service’ model, Swedish police say Egypt to join Cyprus independence parade for first time On this day: Queen Elizabeth becomes the longest reigning monarch of the UK in 2015 British airport chaos disrupts flights to and from Cyprus (photos+videos) Police accused of colluding with criminals; Fytiris vows clean-up Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.