Audit service denied access to review gun permits
The state has denied access to the audit service to review gun permits given to seven former state officials and politicians on a special licence, it emerged on Friday, after a house finance committee session.
Special licences are allowed to be given out if applied for, but Auditor-General Odysseas Michaelides said that the service has been denied reviewing these records, while also claiming that people that had been given citizenship under the golden passport scheme also have licences to carry firearms.
In a memo to the parliament, Michaelides claimed that his service has been denied access to this information by President Nikos Christodoulides as he is aware of the request.
The audit service decided to carry out this investigation after uncovering cases of people who secured golden passports and were suspicious were found themselves carrying weapons for security purposes. Such a case was recently revealed in the case of the black spy van with the Israelis.
Another case that has seen concerns Russian citizens with Cypriot passports who have obtained firearms licences not only for themselves but also for their bodyguards. The case of a person allegedly possessing two pistols from the republic was forwarded to the audit service in the form of a complaint.
It should be noted that based on a confidential letter submitted to parliament by the justice ministry in January 2020 and revealed by daily Politis, seven former and current officials-politicians hold firearms licences for their personal security. In fact, the politicians in question are registered as special police officers so that they can move around armed with their guards.
The said letter also shows that an average of 45 to 55 firearms licenses are issued or renewed for the personal safety of their owners or the safety of their families and property.
Commenting on the issue in his memo, Michaelides said that the denial had come Police Chief Stelios Papatheodorou.
The letter said: “In both cases, the government refers to opinions of the attorney-general. Also, in both cases, the Chief of Police admitted that the matter falls within our [the audit service] jurisdiction. It is obvious that the Chief of Police, on the one hand, by stating that he recognises that we have the authority to audit, deprives us of the possibility of appealing to the Supreme Constitutional Court, and on the other hand, by refusing to provide us with the evidence, he feels the security provided by the attorney-general against our complaint for a possibly committing a criminal offense (including for refusing to submit information to the audit service). In doing so, our constitutionally mandated audit is thwarted.”
Michaelides said that he is also being denied access to records for traffic fines that vanished without being paid. He said in his letter that he would like to the know the names of the individuals, who haver had traffic fines thrown out, as it is the money of the state.
The issues re-emerged Friday, during the house finance committee session, with Akel MP Irene Charalambides calling on the chief of police to give the information, if the confidentiality of the matter could be kept.