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211. Stars in Al Jazeera video face committee

212. Director wants passport probe clear his name

A civil servant, whose name was dropped by the former House speaker during a secret video recording by Al Jazeera, says he did not get involved with golden passports during his tenure as director of the interior ministry, vowing to take legal action if an investigative committee failed to clear his name...

213. Interim report on golden passports delivered

An interim report on the golden passport scandal in the Republic of Cyprus says just over half of citizenships granted by the executive branch were not approved lawfully...

214. Jiu Jitsu director says Cyprus losing out

The director and producers of martial arts movie Jiu Jitsu sought audience with Cyprus’ finance minister this week over delayed cash rebate payments, with reports saying the film makers are also ticked off by an unflattering audit report on the country’s Olivewood scheme...

215. Gloves are off again over golden passports

Cyprus’ auditor general told a House committee this week that the Cabinet used old rules to approve over two hundred golden passports after the cutoff date for an investigation ordered by the attorney general, who pushed back on the criticism saying there was 'no bottom to the abyss'...

216. Cyprus expecting 60,000 Covid doses this week

217. Backchannel migration approvals probed

A man has accused the interior minister of approving visa extensions for a select number of foreign workers while rejecting others including his elderly mother’s helper, with reports pointing to a bigger scandal where rejected cases were being approved fraudulently through a channel involving a high price tag...

218. Police probe burning of Greek flag in Pyla

A Greek flag that was hoisted at an elementary school in Pyla was reportedly stolen and set on fire this week, but the exact time of the incident in the bicommunal village was not fully clear...

219. Investigators puzzled over Athienou case

Officials in Cyprus still remain in the dark over the identification of a woman whose body was discovered in a field in the buffer zone, with reports saying investigators are seeking answers from abroad based on a tip that led to the launch of a murder probe...

220. Officers off the hook in serial killer probe

Senior law enforcement officials and frontline police officers named in a serial killer probe in Cyprus could be subject to disciplinary action but not criminal charges because of broader systemic failures and lack of evidence...

221. Police probe suspicious rapid test invoices

Police are investigating allegations of fraud after suspicions emerged that a private company was claiming payments for rapid tests that never took place...

222. Interior Minister fires Kouklia head councilor

A whistleblower head councilor in Paphos district has been relieved of his duties this week by the interior minister, who has placed the local council of Kouklia under the administration of the district chief officer following pandemonium in the heavily-audited community...

223. Coming period packed with Cyprus Problem diplomacy

EU and UN officials are expected in Cyprus in the coming days ahead of the informal conference on Cyprus that will take place April 27-29 of in Geneva and this month’s European Council summit, during which EU leaders will discuss Turkey`s European course. ...

224. Syrian walks free after long detention

A Syrian man was detained since May 2019 on terrorism charges won his appeal on Thursday, after the Supreme Court ruled that his detention had exceeded any valid period that had previously been justified on national security grounds...

225. Doctor’s sexual misconduct trial goes forward

A sexual assault case against a doctor with a large medical practice in Cyprus is moving forward, while questions have been raised over a messenger company that failed for months to serve him court documents as well as a prior conviction that fell through the cracks...

226. Probe into police brutality has three-month deadline

The independent authority for the investigation of allegations and complaints against the police said Thursday that it instructed the four criminal investigators probing complaints of police brutality at last Saturday’s protest to wrap up investigations within three months....

227. Yiolitis says police did not have orders to exert violence

Justice Minister Emily Yiolitis said Monday that police did not have instructions to use brutal violence against protestors in Nicosia on Saturday, though critical MPs stress that it is obvious that the police response was decided in advance with those responsible avoiding responsibility....

228. Protesters accuse cops of police brutality

A probe into alleged police brutality has been launched after law enforcement officials were criticized over a heavy-handed response to a peaceful protest against corruption in downtown Nicosia on Saturday...

229. Former AG says he cautioned over passports

The state’s former attorney general says his department had cautioned the government years ago that the country’s golden passport scheme might have been incompatible with European law, essentially contradicting the executive branch's position that nobody had said anything...

230. President blames CIP failure on recklessness

Cyprus’ disgraced Citizenship by Investment Programme took a heavy toll after it was 'recklessly promoted' overseas, according to President Nicos Anastasiades, who testified on Tuesday before an independent committee, while telling reporters later that he would not revisit the matter until after probe findings are concluded...

231. Anastasiades takes the stand in passports probe

Cyprus’ citizenship by investment scheme will not be revived but other incentives will be given to attract investments, excluding citizenship, President Nicos Anastasiades said on Tuesday, following a 3-hour-long testimony before the investigative committee probing Cyprus’ nixed citizenship-by-investment scheme....

232. Cyprus president testifies on golden passports

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades is expected to testify on Tuesday before the independent committee probing corruption allegations in the country’s golden passport scheme, just days after he lashed out at critics during a national address on the fight against corruption...

233. Teacher ready to sue over Twitter search

A teacher who won an appeal following an unlawful police search, in connection with a Twitter parody account complaint filed by Justice Minister Emily Yiolitis, has vowed to sue the state saying she was targeted because of her activism...

234. President lashes out at critics

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades in a televised address on Thursday rejected allegations of corruption within his office and administration, accusing the opposition and media of singling out his former law firm for being involved with golden passports and appealing on the political parties’ patriotism to support a new strategic plan to fight corruption...

235. 15 law firms being audited for involvement in 'golden passports'

Interesting new details on the involvement of law firms in the island’s disgraced citizenship-by-investment programme were presented before the Investigative Committee by the head of the Cyprus Bar Association, Christos Clerides....

236. EU scrambles for supply amid vaccine clatter

Cypriot EU Commissioner Stella Kyriakides says AstraZeneca’s revised schedule for delivering fewer doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in coming weeks is “not acceptable” while the European Ombudsman embarks on an investigation into vaccine contracts...

237. Dueling small parties help pass budget

The House in the Republic of Cyprus approved a revision of the government’s 2021 state budget on Thursday, following a month of consultations between the administration and small opposition parties that offered additional amendments to the bill...

238. MPs vote on budget hanging by a thread

The House takes another vote on the state budget on Thursday, with representatives expected to pass the bill narrowly following behind-the-scenes consultations since the first time it was rejected in mid-December...

239. Former FinMin tells passport probe he shares part of blame

Former Finance Minister Harris Georgiades told the independent investigative committee probing the citizenships by exception granted via the Republic’s nixed ‘golden passports’ program that “as a member of the Council of Ministers, I have a portion of the blame”. ...

240. Reporters to sit in on golden passport hearings

A number of reporters will be allowed from now on to attend ongoing probe hearings into alleged corruption in connection with Cyprus’ disgraced Citizenship by Investment Programme, with journalists being asked to commit in advance not to breach data privacy laws...