Press Releases

The Second Addendum to the Second Compliance Report of Cyprus to GRECO, adopted on 27 November 2023 and published on Tuesday 9 January 2024, assesses the additional measures taken by the Cypriot authorities which, according to the Addendum to the Second Compliance Report, had been partly or not implemented, in relation to the Fourth Round Evaluation of Cyprus to GRECO, which deals with the "Prevention of corruption in relation to Members of Parliament, the Judiciary and Prosecution".

In the Evaluation Report, GRECO addressed sixteen (16) recommendations to Cyprus. In the Addendum to the Second Compliance Report of Cyprus to GRECO, GRECO concluded that Cyprus had implemented satisfactorily or dealt with in a satisfactory manner, nine (9) of them, while six (6) of them had been partially implemented and one (1) of them had not been implemented. Compliance with the seven (7) outstanding recommendations is dealt with in the current Report which effectively terminates the Round in question with the seven (7) pending recommendations been considered as partially implemented.

• In respect of Members of Parliament, GRECO values the adoption of a Code of Ethics in 2021, which is coupled with monitoring, advisory and enforcement mechanisms and encourages the authorities to see the code as a living document which is adjusted to include new emerging integrity-related issues and risks as they arise. GRECO also welcomes the introduction, and further refinement in 2023, of rules on lobbying. There is induction training on ethics issues which MPs and their assistants are invited to attend, but no regular training is organized throughout the parliamentary term. Additional upgrades of the financial disclosure system are still necessary, particularly regarding its effective supervision and enforcement. A new bill is undergoing parliamentary discussion, but has not yet been published.
• With regard to Judges, all Recommendations have been complied with. (See previous reports). 
• As for prosecutors, only one recommendation is pending, which concerns the reform of the Law Office and the independence of prosecutorial functions. GRECO welcomes the draft Law, which is currently still before Parliament. It however notes that the draft would benefit from additional refinement to ensure that individual law officers/prosecutors are able to conduct their duties in a more autonomous way, guided by the safeguards necessary under the rule of law. GRECO calls on the authorities to deal with the planned reform of the Law Office of the Republic without delay. 

The said GRECO Report, in English and Greek, is uploaded on the website of the Law Office of the Republic and on the website of the Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO).

(EP/NZ/AP)