Only a quarter of anonymous complaints from Cypriot residents are dealt with

On Monday 28th April the Cyprus Anti-Corruption Committee announced that only % of the anonymous complaints submitted could be accepted.

The reason for this is the insufficient information provided, which makes it impossible to carry out a full investigation.

Despite the fact that the special platform for submitting complaints is attracting a lot of interest from citizens, the majority of anonymous complaints contain only general allegations without concrete facts or evidence, forcing the authority to reject them.

The reason for publishing this notice was the high percentage of rejected anonymous complaints,' the committee said in an official statement.

The authority stressed that all complaints are investigated with due diligence and in strict compliance with legislation on the protection of personal data. Once the investigations are completed, the results are published on the official website of the anti-corruption body. However, the report also notes that anonymity deprives staff of the opportunity to contact complainants to clarify details, which significantly complicates the investigation process.

In this regard, the agency strongly recommends that citizens who decide to make a complaint anonymously provide as much specific information as possible - facts, dates, places, names of persons involved and other important details.

Without sufficient information, the investigation may be closed at an early stage due to lack of evidence,' the body warned.

The Anti-Corruption Committee urged citizens to act responsibly when filing complaints, stressing that only joint efforts of society and state structures can effectively fight corruption at all levels.

It should be noted that since the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Committee, Cypriot citizens have submitted 340 complaints to it. Of these: 110 have been satisfied and 230 are pending. At the same time, only 12 cases have gone to court, while the rest have been dismissed.

It should be remembered that the 'untouchables', as they have been dubbed by the Cypriot media, are headed by Haris Poyadjis, whose official title is Commissioner for the Fight against Corruption.

1. Poyadjis is a former judge and holds a law degree from the University of Exeter in England. The other four members of the committee are
2. Michael Konstantinidis, former Director General of the Ministry of Transport and Public Works, holds a Bachelor's degree in Engineering from Queen Mary University of London and a Master's degree in the same field from the University of Minnesota.
3. Eleni Patera-Dimosfenous is a lawyer and a graduate of the Law School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
4. Nikos Zambakidis is a chartered accountant and former General Manager of the Nicosia Sewerage Authority.
5. Tatiana Zachariadou is a sociologist and a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany and the University of Indianapolis.

There are currently five ways to submit a complaint to the Anti-Corruption Committee:

1. Fill out the electronic complaint form available at www.iaac.org.cy (there are two types of forms: for those willing to provide their first and last name, and for those who wish to provide information anonymously).
2. Print the form, complete it and email it to complaints@iaac.org.cy.
3. Fax the completed form to 22-756414.
4. Send the completed form by post to the Office of the Commissioner for Transparency, Markou Drakou 10, 5th floor, 1040 Nicosia, Cyprus, P.O. 29035, 1620 Nicosia, Cyprus.
5. Drop it in the complaints box at the office of the Anti-Corruption Committee in Nicosia.