Dialogos

They Want to Grant Powers to the Attorney General for Surveillance – Strong Reaction from AKEL

Published March 13, 2026, 17:00
They Want to Grant Powers to the Attorney General for Surveillance – Strong Reaction from AKEL

The bill for constitutional revision will be put to a vote in the Plenary Session of the Parliament next Thursday, despite the objections of AKEL. The revision concerns an article of the Constitution related to the monitoring of private communications and requires the approval of 38 MPs. The discussion focused on bills to amend the legislation regarding the role of the CYPRUS Intelligence Service (KYP) and the possibility of lifting confidentiality for combating terrorism and organized crime. The Chairman of the Legal Committee and the Minister of Justice stressed the need for the immediate passage of the bills. AKEL opposes the granting of authority to the Attorney General to approve the lifting of confidentiality, proposing the creation of an independent body. AKEL MPs requested that the prescribed procedure for examining the bills be followed, despite their urgent nature. The Attorney General appealed for a positive consideration of the bills, emphasizing that Cyprus is the only country in the EU that does not have this tool to combat crime. The Assistant Attorney General informed about a note they received from the European Public Prosecutor's Office.