The foreign agents involved in surveillance were convicted in Greece but acquitted in Cyprus
Statement by the member of the Political Bureau of AKEL and MP Aristos Damianou
27 February 2026, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia
Yesterday’s conviction of a former Israeli agent in connection with the surveillance scandal in Greece reignites the debate about the involvement of the same individuals in illegal surveillance/spyware, the black spy van scandal and the antennas they illegally installed at Larnaca airport to monitor unsuspecting citizens.
At the time, AKEL publicly denounced the institutional collusion and corruption surrounding the handling of the black spy van case. In Parliament, we documented the political and financial dealings of the then Anastasiades government and DISY with the companies of former Israeli agents.
At the same time, we revealed the motive behind the decision of the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General to suspend criminal proceedings on the grounds of “public interest” of the former Israeli agent, at the same time as his company admitted guilt. What were the reasons of public interest that justified the suspension of criminal prosecution?
A strange decision that was obviously related to the institutional collusion/entanglement of the former agent with the then Anastasiades-DISY government. At the same time, AKEL documented the production, distribution, and sale of illegal surveillance/spyware equipment in the Republic of Cyprus, referring to it as a hotbed for the production of surveillance equipment, or so-called dual-use software.
All of this has been well documented. AKEL warned about this from the very outset. Apparently, some chose to turn a blind eye to the illegality. Essentially, the attitude of the government and the Legal Service towards the former Israeli agent and his companies allowed Greece to be contaminated with surveillance spyware equipment produced in Cyprus.
For all these reasons, and many others that we have publicly denounced, we believe that the justified demand for institutional responsibility to be assumed by the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General is once again relevant. Their resignation should have happened long ago, but today it is imperative.
Tomorrow, AKEL will return to the issue with a press conference on the whole matter at 9:00 a.m. at the offices of the Central Committee.
27.02.2026
