Parliament isn’t X, TikTok or Facebook; the failed grilling over the Paschalides report announcement

Opinion corruptioncyprustrial Parliament isn’t X, TikTok or Facebook; the failed grilling over the Paschalides report announcement Pashalides Aggelides Relevant News Parliament isn’t X, TikTok or Facebook; the failed grilling over the Paschalides report announcement 3 August 2026 The Manchester United prodigy who could one day play for Cyprus 3 August 2026 The geopolitical dimension of energy, and “Cronos” 3 August 2026 Fanis Makrides 3 August 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber If two people were in the firing line at Parliament last Friday over Videogate, they were Deputy Attorney General Savvas Angelides and independent criminal investigator Andreas Paschalides. Both had been summoned to explain themselves over questions raised after the report was handed in and Paschalides’ much-discussed announcement on July 20, which, let’s be honest, needed a lawyer to translate it. Strip away the odd moment of seriousness from a handful of thoughtful MPs on the House Institutions Committee genuinely trying to engage, and the bitter truth is that hollow one-liners carried the day. The script was obvious from the outset. A few MPs turned up determined to hijack parliamentary scrutiny for their own ends, and all they managed to do was lob the ball into the “opposition’s” half and hand them the game. So the two lawyers, the sitting Deputy Attorney General and the former Supreme Court judge, played it entirely on their own terms and came through unscathed. Angelides, for one, spotted the flaw straight away and pointed it out with real tact. The agenda item itself, worded as “briefing on the findings of the report”, handed him the perfect opening to flag the parliamentary blunder and state the obvious. That he couldn’t say a word about the substance of the findings, because doing so would contaminate an ongoing criminal process. So he gave them the procedural rundown and left like a gentleman. MPs knew this full well, but clearly fancied squaring off against Angelides for the cameras, to look like they were holding someone to account. He didn’t oblige them. Paschalides didn’t have a rough ride either. The criticism thrown at him was toothless, built on nothing solid, and certainly not the product of any serious MP’s homework. When someone suggested he’d deliberately chosen July 20 to release his report so he could hide behind the day’s commemorations of that dark anniversary, he hit back accordingly. He said the mere suggestion insulted him, and reminded them he fought in Pentadaktylos in 1974. He met their theatrics with theatrics of his own. At one point he all but read out his CV. And frankly, given the calibre of his critics, who can blame him. A few MPs, self-styled social media maestros, took the floor and mumbled something in a tone not even worth recording for the archive, let alone one that would trouble Paschalides in the slightest. The message is unmistakable: Parliament isn’t X, TikTok or Facebook. Those platforms might be enough to sway voters who don’t think twice. But the mirror here is the floor of Parliament itself, and the sooner everyone grasps that, the better for all of us. If they don’t, the current crop we’ve elected to the legislature will land us in no end of trouble. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News The Manchester United prodigy who could one day play for Cyprus The geopolitical dimension of energy, and “Cronos” Fire chief warns of arson signs as 2026 blazes top 1,450 Paphos court clears British father to attend son’s funeral in England Limassol mayor: “We want funding, not privileges” State grant to municipalities to rise by €39m as stoppage goes ahead Property valuers group says online estimates can’t replace a surveyor Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.