Philenews

Phone Tapping: New Emergency Meeting of the Legal Committee – Seeking a Compromise

Published March 18, 2026, 14:12
Phone Tapping: New Emergency Meeting of the Legal Committee – Seeking a Compromise

The House Legal Committee will convene in a new emergency session on Friday, March 20th, in an attempt to find a consensual solution to the issue of telephone tapping. The goal is to achieve the necessary two-thirds majority (38 votes) to amend the Constitution, which would give the Attorney General the right to approve requests from the CIA for surveillance, without prior judicial approval, regarding matters of national security. Intensive mediation efforts are being made by the CIA, the Ministry of Justice and members of the Legal Committee in order to overcome the objections of AKEL. However, AKEL has stated that it will not vote for the bill in its current form, as it is concerned about the lack of judicial oversight of the power that will be given to the Attorney General. AKEL insists that a court order for surveillance will be required to use evidence in court, rendering surveillance approved only by the Attorney General useless. The bill to amend Article 17 of the Constitution, is expected to be put on the agenda of the Plenary Session of the Parliament on Thursday, but a postponement of the vote may be requested. At the same time, on Friday, the two bills concerning the work of the CIA and the manner in which surveillance is carried out, as well as the penalties for abuses, will also be discussed. The passage of these two bills is expected to be made with some amendments.