Newsroom
Cyprus received 85 whistleblower reports in 2025, more than three times the number recorded a year earlier, according to figures released by the Justice Ministry.
The total compares with 25 reports in 2024 and 12 in 2023, marking a substantial increase in disclosures made to the competent authorities.
Justice and Public Order Minister Costas Fitiris provided the figures in a written response to Limassol MP Michalis Paraskevas, who sought information on the implementation of legislation designed to protect whistleblowers in the public sector.
Of the reports filed last year, 51 concerned suspected corruption. Authorities investigated 48 cases, completing 28 investigations. Six were closed because there was insufficient evidence, while the remaining 22 were directed towards other procedures outside the courts.
Investigations and accountability
The figures for previous years show a different pattern. In 2024, authorities investigated 20 of the 25 reports received. All 12 reports submitted in 2023 were examined, with seven leading to the initiation of proceedings. None of those cases resulted in court proceedings.
Paraskevas also requested details on how many public bodies have internal channels for reporting suspected wrongdoing, the outcomes of complaints filed since 2023 and the safeguards available to people who report misconduct.
The ministry said there is no central authority responsible for supervising internal reporting channels across the public sector. Their operation falls under the responsibility of individual ministries, services and departments. Neither the relevant European directive nor Cyprus' national legislation requires a separate central oversight body.
The ministry said it had written to the relevant authorities to remind them of their obligations. It has also published a list of authorities on its website, allowing members of the public to identify where to report suspected breaches according to the nature of the alleged offence.
However, the ministry does not maintain figures on complaints involving retaliation against whistleblowers. Such data are not included in the information that Cyprus is required to provide to the European Commission under the applicable European and national rules.
Legal safeguards for whistleblowers
Cyprus' legislation provides for the confidentiality of whistleblowers' identities and the identities of individuals named in their reports.
People who face retaliation can apply to the competent court to seek an end to the measures taken against them and claim compensation. The law also stipulates that retaliatory measures are invalid. Where an employee is dismissed for submitting a report, a court may order their reinstatement.
Further protections apply to whistleblowers who are called to testify in criminal proceedings, including measures intended to preserve their anonymity. Employers are also obliged to take steps to prevent retaliation and stop it when it occurs.
The European Commission assessed the relevant safeguards during the incorporation of the European directive into Cyprus' national legislation. Amendments were introduced in February 2024. Fitiris said the Commission had not raised the issue again since those changes were made.
