What is the government scared of and it does not want to shed light on the wiretapping and surveillance network?

 

Statement by AKEL C.C. Spokesperson Giorgos Koukoumas

11 August 2022, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

It took Deputy Attorney General a year to decide what to say about the blatant conflict of interest involving him with regards the black spy van case, which AKEL denounced last year. Nevertheless, in his statement yesterday, Mr. Angelides conceded that his law firm had registered Avni’s company, a partner and associate of Dillian, and that his brother had a business partnership with Avni even if it was not ultimately completed.

How is it possible, under these circumstances, that the Deputy Attorney General himself would take on the very complex and extremely serious black spy van case in which he eventually dropped all charges of those accused?

And instead of shrugging off the questions that are growing every day, the DISY party government the Minister should answer them clearly:

Does he intend to conduct a real investigation into the activities of the Dillian companies in our country and more broadly of the NSO Group that developed Pegasus and is internationally accountable for its illegal activities?

New questions are cropping up every day.

For example, how is it possible for the Minister of Commerce briefed Parliament that no company by the name of NSO Group is registered in Cyprus (reply 25.11.2021) in reply to a question put by MP Al. Attalidou, but the company itself states both in its official annual reports and in its comments before the European Parliament’s Investigative Committee that it uses Cyprus to develop and export of its products?

What is really happening after all?

Another question of course is how long will the ruling DISY party and its President Averof Neophytou keep silent, given that, as they themselves have admitted, DISY bought services and products from Avni’s companies.

As far as the other DISY presidential candidate Nikos Christodoulides is concerned, why is he not saying a single word about the surveillance case that directly concerns the government he served in for so many years?

Why does the Government Spokesman not reply to the claims made by the former special advisor to President Anastasiades who in his book testifies to surveillances with the knowledge of President Anastasiades himself?

The black spy van and the companies of Dillian and Avni, their links with the Police and the Cypriot Central Intelligence Agency (KYP), the activities of the NSO Group and the political connections of Israeli spies constitute a sinister network dangerous to democracy and the rule of law in our country.

What is the government afraid of as it does not want to shed light on this network of eavesdropping, surveillance, wiretaps and espionage?