Parliament restores MPs’ asset declarations after unlawful disclosures prompt inquiry

Nicosia, Cyprus. Parliament restored MPs’ asset declarations to its website on Wednesday afternoon after removing them the previous day because information legally barred from publication had been disclosed accidentally. House president Annita Demetriou ordered an investigation into the incident.

Declarations return to the website

At 8.30pm, declarations covering 53 of Parliament’s 56 members were available online. The three absent declarations belonged to Michalis Kounounis, Michalis Paraskevas and Demetris Souglis.

On Tuesday, the House said every former member, newly elected member and re-elected member had provided the required declarations. Parliamentary services were to upload them in stages.

The documents were temporarily removed after it emerged that sections not authorised for publication under the legislation had been uploaded in error. However, the declarations remained accessible until late on Tuesday, even after Parliament announced their withdrawal.

Investigation and accountability concerns

Demetriou requested a factual report from parliamentary services detailing precisely what had occurred and instructed them to ensure full compliance with the law. The matter is expected to be considered by the House institutions committee.

In a letter to Demetriou, Alma MP Irene Charalambides accused Parliament of violating legislation it had itself adopted. She said the published documents included information explicitly prohibited from disclosure, among it spouses’ personal data and reconciliation statements provided to the tax commissioner.

Charalambides said the legislation was intended to promote transparency while protecting third parties’ rights. She argued that the incident concerned accountability rather than a technical problem and that an apology alone would not resolve it.