Presidential commissioner to receive police guard as protection for former officials is withdrawn

Limassol, Cyprus. Presidential Commissioner Marios Hartsiotis will receive a police driver and escort from 24 September, a day after the justice ministry announced it would withdraw protection from three former House presidents and two former first ladies.

Guard assigned to commissioner

A document obtained by Politis and signed by deputy police chief Marios Agiotis says a police lieutenant and a police officer will serve as driver and escort for Hartsiotis, a former justice minister. According to information cited by the newspaper, Hartsiotis requested the escort and the presidential palace is aware of the decision.

The audit office is investigating Hartsiotis’ use of a state limousine for journeys to his home in Limassol rather than his private vehicle, on the grounds that he may not have been entitled to use a state vehicle for that purpose.

Protection withdrawn after risk review

The justice ministry said a day earlier that police guards for former House presidents Yiannakis Omirou, Demetris Syllouris and Marios Garoyian, and for former first ladies Elsi Christofias and Androulla Vassiliou, the widows of two former presidents, would be withdrawn from next month.

The ministry said an updated police risk assessment found “there are no reasons to continue the permanent guarding” of the five. It said the decision “is based solely on the risk assessment and is not related to the official’s status or institutional background.”

From January, CCTV cameras will replace the static guard at former president Nicos Anastasiades’ Limassol residence. Anastasiades currently has about 12 officers assigned to him; his escort of six officers and a further six guarding his residence will remain in place.

The wider review began in June, when Justice Minister Costas Fitiris instructed the police security committee to reassess protection for political and state officials following May’s parliamentary elections.

Under the revised system, the cabinet no longer decides who receives police guards. A legal service opinion found that responsibility for assessing security risks rests with police rather than the government. Assessments will be carried out every six months, or sooner if circumstances require.