This scandal must not be covered up too!

Statement by Aristos Damianou, AKEL Political Bureau member and Head of the Legal Affairs Department of AKEL

21 March 2024, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

Given that as they normally do, the government and the President of the Republic avoid answering any difficult questions, we shall persist in the hope that the President’s “unambiguous” statements will be put into action.

Firstly, what is his position on the fact that during the Anastasiades administration, of which he was a member of the Council of Ministers, as a result of political interventions, Tal Dilian, [Note: former general in the Israeli military intelligence, founder of the Intellexa Consortium, and architect behind its spyware tools] was allowed to go unpunished, while there was a criminal prosecution against him, which was suspended?

Secondly, what is his position regarding the fact that the Republic of Cyprus has lost its credibility in this case too, given that it turned a blind eye and permitted the circulation, sale and export of illegal spyware in Greece and to third countries with the knowledge of the Anastasiades government and to a great extent largely as a result of entanglement/interwoven interests and corruption?

Thirdly, why does his government continue to tolerate the production of dual-use software in Cyprus?

Given the latest development in the Pegasus and Predator spyware production scandal, where those involved appear to be belatedly changing officials in the Registrar of Companies, to avoid responsibilities, we ask whether this demand has been examined by the authorities for its consequences unless the government is comfortable with the covering up of yet another scandal.