Nicosia, Cyprus. The House institutions committee will meet in an extraordinary session next Friday following the publication of independent criminal investigator Andreas Paschalides’ findings into the Videogate affair. Paschalides concluded that no criminal offences had been identified.
Investigator’s findings
Committee chairman and Disy MP Demetris Demetriou convened the session after the investigator’s findings were published.
In a public statement, Paschalides said some of the video’s protagonists had engaged in “bluster” intended to generate publicity rather than provide evidence of criminal conduct.
Calls for publication
Alma MP Irene Charalambides said parliament should receive the investigator’s full findings, arguing that the House had the authority to request the document.
Earlier, Akel called for the findings to be made public through the institutions committee, accusing the government of attempting to avoid accountability.
“The attempt to exonerate the Christodoulides government through the investigator’s findings constitutes a crude mockery of the citizens,” Akel parliamentary spokesman Giorgos Loukaides said.
Loukaides said publication of the complete report was “a necessary condition for the exercise of effective and substantive parliamentary control” and that the party had formally requested an extraordinary committee meeting.
Disy position
Disy also called for the case to be fully examined through institutional procedures. It urged the legal service to assess the investigator’s report, determine whether criminal offences arise and consider whether the findings could be published without affecting any further investigation.
The party said legal and political accountability should be considered separately, referring to the resignation of the director of the president’s office, the First Lady’s resignation from the presidency of the Social Support Agency and the government’s proposal to abolish the fund.
“We do not choose findings, nor do we interpret them as we please, depending on whether they concern our own people or political opponents,” Disy said.
