Anti-Corruption Committee does not have time to process complaints from Cypriot residents

Since the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Committee, Cypriots have filed 340 complaints.

Of these: 110 have been satisfied and 230 are pending. At the same time, only 12 cases went to court, while the rest were rejected.

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

1. 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;
2. Eleni Patera-Dimosfenous is a lawyer and a graduate of the Law Faculty of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens;
3. Nikos Zambakidis - Chartered Accountant, former General Manager of the Nicosia Sewerage Authority;
4. Tatiana Zachariadou is a sociologist and a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany and the University of Indianapolis.

In a meeting with the Cypriot President, the head of the committee said that the process of dealing with complaints quickly is hampered by a lack of staff, which has led to many investigations being delayed. One of the most important investigations remains the case concerning the publication of the book by Makas Drusiotis. It started in April 2024 and is expected to end in May 2025. More than 100 witnesses have been questioned, including many representatives of the state apparatus.

It should be remembered that the problem of corruption has plagued Cyprus throughout the history of the independent republic.

In fact, Cyprus is one of the leading countries in the world where people are often confronted with cases of corruption and bribery. The government of the island state does not deny that it is responsible for the situation. However, for reasons that remain unclear, it has until recently made no concrete attempts to radically improve the situation. The catalyst was the scandal surrounding the Cyprus Investment Programme. The Al Jazeera investigation led to the resignation of a number of senior officials in Cyprus.

One of the most important consequences of the scandal was the establishment of an independent Anti-Corruption Committee of Cyprus in May 2022, to which the people of the island can complain directly. This can also be done anonymously. There are currently five ways to lodge a complaint:

1. Fill in the electronic complaint form available at www.iaac.org.cy (there are two types of forms: for those who are prepared to give their name and surname, 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. Post the completed form to 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.