MP warns underworld groups ‘have become emboldened’ in Cyprus

Local corruptionIndependent Authority against CorruptionmpparliamentTop News MP warns underworld groups ‘have become emboldened’ in Cyprus Thesmwn2 1536x818 Relevant News MP warns underworld groups ‘have become emboldened’ in Cyprus 10 September 2026 Family disputes HIO decision to end patient’s treatment abroad 10 September 2026 UNFICYP commander withdrawn amid misconduct complaints, report says 10 September 2026 Fanis Makrides 10 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Cyprus MP Irene Charalambidou told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday that criminal underworld groups “have become emboldened,” pointing to a recent comment by a fellow MP and to a restaurant owner who told her he is being extorted. The House Institutions Committee session focused on the European Commission’s latest report on the rule of law in Cyprus, the second in a series of sessions reviewing compliance by relevant services and institutions. Invited officials were asked to respond to the report’s findings and recommendations. Charalambidou cited a recent statement by DISY MP Giorgos Pamborides, who she said had remarked that “the underworld has infiltrated Cyprus’s political life, at senior levels.” She then asked: “When a statement of such weight is made, what should the next step be?” She also described a restaurant owner who confided to her that he is being extorted by underworld figures into using specific products, and is afraid to report it to police for fear his shop will be burned down. Charalambidou said that when he told her about the extortion, she offered to call the police chief immediately to inform him, but the man asked her not to, saying his property would be targeted with arson and that he would be financially ruined, since he would be unable to operate the shop through the summer season. Responding to these comments, Justice Ministry director-general Giorgos Pantelis said references to the underworld amounted to general statements, adding that the Justice Ministry and police were continuing their work and that there were “tangible results.” Thomas Hatzikyriakos, director of the police’s Crime Combating Department, said police need satisfactory testimony before they can act. The session also addressed the fact that the Anti-Corruption Authority lacks investigative powers, which leads to duplicate investigations and risks evidence being altered. Committee members noted delays in advancing related legislation. Pantelis said a bill to strengthen the Anti-Corruption Authority had been prepared and sent for evaluation, noting that the process was already under way. Under way Significant developments are expected on Monday in the Anti-Corruption Authority’s investigation into the wiretapping case, Transparency Commissioner and head of the Authority, Haris Pogiatzis, told the committee. “An announcement will be issued by the Authority on Monday,” he said, without elaborating or giving any indication of its content. The statement is notable given that last March, at a session of the same committee, the Transparency Commissioner had said he could not discuss the matter because it was under examination. The announcement he has now flagged therefore appears to concern the progress of that investigation. Pogiatzis addressed the case on Wednesday after Charalambidou pressed him on it, asking whether he had “finally started investigating” what is also known in Cyprus as the black van case, the wiretapping matter she said he had previously promised to look into, and what had come of that, since she considered it a very important issue. At a committee session on March 11, Pogiatzis had made clear that the wiretapping case, which drew attention across Europe and centred on Cyprus, was being investigated by the Authority. Charalambidou had also put a question to him at that session, asking whether complaints before the Authority relating to the wiretapping would be investigated, and whether the Authority had asked for the findings of Ilias Stefanou, the independent criminal investigator who examined the case at the time, to be forwarded to it. The Transparency Commissioner told parliament he could not disclose anything about the case, citing Article 18 of the law, which he said makes all proceedings at the Authority confidential unless there is a reason to lift that confidentiality. “At this moment I don’t see a reason to lift it,” he said, noting it was an ongoing investigation and that the outcome would become known in time. Wiretapping case: the key names Related information was published last summer in Cyprus’s print and online press, as well as on the websites of well-known Greek media outlets, concerning the Anti-Corruption Authority’s investigation. The reports noted that revelations philenews had made about the role of Cypriot officials in the case would be a focus of the investigation. The case and the criminal investigation carried out in Cyprus touched on a number of issues involving officials the Anti-Corruption Authority is authorised to examine. Among the matters considered certain to feature in the Authority’s inquiry is an email that reached the office of Averof Neofytou, then DISY leader, sent by an associate of Avni and Dylan, both of whom have been linked to the black van and Predator spyware cases. Dylan was seeking help with a software export to the Netherlands, according to official statements given to philenews. The email was forwarded to the Ministry of Commerce, and that onward path drew the attention of Ilias Stefanou, the independent criminal investigator at the time, who took testimony from officials as a result. The Cyprus wiretapping case also reached Larnaca Criminal Court in 2021, which fined a company linked to Dylan, amid political criticism over the role of Assistant Attorney-General Savvas Angelidis. Philenews reported on September 19, 2021, that Angelidis had been called on to review Israeli businessman Avraham Sahak Avni, who had previously been a business partner of Michalis Angelidis, the Assistant Attorney-General’s brother; the two had planned to open a shop under the name “Spy Shop.” A separate complaint was also brought before the Anti-Corruption Authority, revealed by “F” in May 2023, which set out three companies active in the surveillance sector that received services from an administrative service provider connected to a law firm in which Angelidis has an interest. Asked for comment on both matters, Angelidis maintained he had no knowledge of his brother’s activities and ruled out any possibility that he had been influenced by them. On the administrative services office’s ties to surveillance companies, he repeated that “there is no trace of any conflict of interest,” referring to the black van case. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Family disputes HIO decision to end patient’s treatment abroad UNFICYP commander withdrawn amid misconduct complaints, report says Doctors released in Mazonakis probe as procedure rules questioned Driver hits railing in Larnaca, cut free by Fire Service No breakthrough as Christodoulides, Erhurman meet again before New York Herzog visits Cyprus for third time amid Turkey-Israel strain Authorities admit major drainage failures across Engomi as residents report persistent flooding Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.