Cyprus examines claims of wrongful inclusion on 1974 war prisoners list

Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus authorities are examining allegations that dozens of people may have been wrongly added to the official list of 1974 war prisoners and claimed a €1,000 benefit paid twice a year.

The review follows concerns raised by the Pancyprian Association of 1974 War Prisoners over differing official registers and the suspension of payments to seven listed association members.

Allegations over prisoner status

Vasos Christou, president of the Pancyprian Association of 1974 War Prisoners, told Phileleftheros that he had received information from a former Commissioner of the Presidency that around 60 to 70 people may have been improperly included on the prisoners list.

He said the association was not alleging that all of those individuals had been unlawfully included, but was seeking checks to establish whether each person was a genuine former prisoner.

Christou said seven association members included on the prisoners list had contacted him after their benefit payments were stopped.

Different official lists

Christou said uncertainty over eligibility stems from the existence of separate lists maintained by the Red Cross, the National Guard and the Interior Ministry.

He said the Red Cross list should be the only applicable register because every prisoner was recorded on it upon release by Turkish forces.

According to Christou, legislation had at one point recognised as prisoners people included on either the Red Cross list or the National Guard list. He said he had informed Parliament that some people allegedly obtained National Guard certification after the events, with claims that National Guard officers had signed documents certifying specific individuals as prisoners.

Christou said the Defence Ministry accepted those certifications. The ministry has said it cross-checked applicants’ names against the Red Cross list, a claim disputed by the association.

Audit and possible police action

Christou said the Audit Office had been asked to examine the lists held by the Red Cross, the Defence Ministry and the Interior Ministry to establish who holds prisoner status and finalise the register.

The Auditor General will compare the names on the ministries’ lists with those of benefit recipients.

The association also sought legal assistance, and a lawyer wrote to the Police Chief requesting intervention. Christou said the Police Chief replied that statements would be taken from people not included in the official registers once the Auditor General’s findings were available.

He said the Police Chief indicated that criminal offences could not be ruled out, both in relation to people who may have been wrongly included on prisoner lists and to those who signed the relevant certifications.

Christou said people found to have entered the lists through false claims could also be asked to repay benefits received over the past two years, in addition to any criminal proceedings.

Suspended benefits

Regarding the seven affected prisoners whose payments were stopped, Christou said one lives in Crete, another in Britain and a third in a care home in Kyperounta.

He said relevant officials had told him that, because of personal data issues, those affected would need to telephone or attend in person to obtain information. Christou said he questioned how they could do so, including by phone, when his own calls to officials had not been answered.