Cyprus Bar Association

Pending family law bills undergo committee review

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Pending family law bills undergo committee review

Four bills aimed at modernizing Family Law in Cyprus and benefiting children began to be discussed before the Legal Committee of the Parliament. The bills, which have been pending since 2018, have undergone changes based on stakeholder suggestions. The first bill requires both parents to provide accurate information about their property and income for child support determination. The second bill focuses on the child’s welfare, including provisions for double surnames, child opinions, monitoring by experts, and parental counselling programs. The third bill regulates succession cases for assisted reproduction, while the fourth bill addresses paternity evidence in cases of medically assisted reproduction. There are reservations about the bills, with concerns about Social Services meeting deadlines and the removal of shared parental custody. Written opinions on the bills can be submitted within three weeks.

Monks seek return amidst scandal

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Monks seek return amidst scandal

Monks suspected of involvement in the Osiou Avakoum monastery scandal in Fterikoudes, Nicosia, have requested permission to return to live at the monastery.

Complaint lodged against lawyers in Osiou Avakoum scandal

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Complaint lodged against lawyers in Osiou Avakoum scandal

The Cyprus Bar Association has lodged a police complaint against two lawyers representing monks implicated in the Osiou Avakoum monastery scandal. The complaint specifically concerns a letter sent to the Holy Synod’s investigative committee urging for the dismissal of charges against the monks and advocating for Archbishop Georgios to take control of the situation. The monks were alleged to have been found with €800,000 in cash, properties in Greece and Limassol, and were caught on CCTV footage having sex with each other.

‘Govt not taking oversight authority seriously at all’

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‘Govt not taking oversight authority seriously at all’

The Cyprus Bar Association criticized the government for its approach to establishing an oversight authority, accusing it of lacking seriousness. This criticism followed a presentation at the finance ministry about the oversight authority, which was approved by the cabinet last month to address sanctions and the country’s reputation regarding money laundering. The Bar Association pointed out legal issues with the framework and accused the finance ministry of not properly evaluating and presenting important matters, leading to serious weaknesses in implementing the decision. Stakeholders such as the accountant’s association, anti-money laundering unit, fiduciary association, and Securities and Exchange Commission were present at the presentation. The Bar Association also claimed that the finance ministry sent stakeholders the wrong document regarding the plans for the new authority and disagreed with the existing framework. It was clarified that CySEC would not oversee 50 of the biggest service industry firms or high-risk companies as previously thought. The Finance Minister had stated that the authority would be led by CySEC and conduct checks with the Bar Association and the accountant’s association. The Bar Association has called for the president and cabinet to reconsider their decisions and has expressed concerns about CySEC’s involvement breaching client confidentiality.

President favours a single fiduciary regulator

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President favours a single fiduciary regulator

Cyprus’ reputation has been negatively affected for over seven years due to the Jho Low scandal, where the Malaysian criminal obtained a Cypriot passport through real estate investments and donations to the Church of Cyprus. The late archbishop admitted to assisting Jho Low in obtaining citizenship, claiming ignorance of his past. The 2021 OCCRP report highlighted Jho Low as the face of the 1MDB embezzlement scandal, stealing billions from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund. The Cypriot “golden passport” program, officially known as Citizenship by Investment, aimed to attract wealthy foreigners but was criticized for facilitating access for kleptocrats and criminals to the EU. The program was lucrative for lawyers and financial service providers in Cyprus. The new president of Cyprus has committed to reforming these practices to restore the country’s reputation as a legitimate investment and financial services destination. A proposal suggests assigning regulatory responsibilities to the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) to ensure independence and effectiveness in supervision, despite opposition from the Cyprus Bar Association. CySEC, under the leadership of Chairman George Theocharides, acknowledges the need for additional resources and expertise to take on this challenge. Demetra Kalogerou, former CySEC chair, supports the government’s decision for a single regulator, criticizing the lack of independence in the current system where professional associations regulate their own members.

Cyprus establishes administrative services supervisory body

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Cyprus establishes administrative services supervisory body

The Cabinet approved the establishment of a unified supervisory authority for administrative service providers in Cyprus, aimed at enhancing oversight and protecting the nation’s reputation. This authority will be overseen by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission, in collaboration with the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus (ICPAC) and the Cyprus Bar Association. It will conduct joint inspections with relevant supervisors and strengthen the governance of administrative service-providing companies by defining service providers and limiting the number of companies served. The authority will also address sanctions violations and implement preventative measures, with fines and other penalties for violations.

Bar Association examining AG report over lawyer, ’s claims

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Bar Association examining AG report over lawyer, ’s claims

The Bar Association has not yet decided how to proceed with a complaint filed by Attorney General George Savvides against lawyer Efstathios Efstathiou. The decision was delayed due to the extensive volume of material that needs to be assessed. Savvides has requested the association to examine whether Efstathiou committed disciplinary offences. Efstathiou accused the Attorney General, his deputy, and the legal service of collaborating with Russian oligarch Oleg Boyko in an allegedly illegal 3.4 million deal involving the theft of shares from Ilya Alekseevitch Surkov. The Attorney General’s office denied any corruption claims, and Savvides stated he would recuse himself from the proceedings as he heads the disciplinary board.

E-justice system , ‘a debacle’, lawyers protest

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E-justice system , ‘a debacle’, lawyers protest

Lawyers in Cyprus held a one-hour protest outside district courts on a Friday to express their dissatisfaction with the problems plaguing the e-justice system, which had failed on its first day of operation. The protest occurred because the e-justice system had been causing work paralysis for two weeks, affecting both the justice delivery system and law firms. Deputy chairman of the Bar Association, Nicolas Tsardellis, spoke about these issues outside the Nicosia district court.

The Deputy Minister of Research, Nicodemos Damianou, mentioned an extension to address the e-justice system issues, but there were doubts about resolving the problems promptly. As a temporary solution, there was a suggestion to revert to the previous i-justice system starting the following Monday. The Bar Association supported this idea, but Tsardellis expressed reservations about its feasibility.

Tsardellis criticized the government’s investment in the justice system, stating that the current approaches were superficial and ineffective. He also mentioned that the e-justice system had serious operational problems from its inception, which remained unresolved. He highlighted the outdated and inadequate facilities at the Nicosia court buildings as indicative of the broader issues within the justice system.

Tsardellis pointed out that the transition to electronic justice had effectively stopped since January 15, after having been in place until January 13. He called for immediate government action to address these issues. Additionally, he warned that if the problems were not resolved, lawyers would continue to take measures, noting that earlier in the week, there had already been a protest outside parliament.