Cypriot MPs criticize spending on fine-processing software — Cyprus Mail
Members of Cyprus’s parliament objected to the government’s request to allocate €146,000 for software to match identity card data with unpaid traffic fines at crossing points. Police plan to use the system at crossings between the northern and southern parts of the island.
As Cyprus Mail reports, the parliamentary finance committee considered the Photo Radar List program. The company responsible for the traffic camera system said it had completed the software’s development and that it was ready for use. The government is asking for the allocated funds to be released to pay the company.
Unpaid fines
During the meeting, MPs heard that there are about 16,000 unpaid fines linked to vehicles belonging to Turkish Cypriots. AKEL party representative Andreas Pashiourtidis said that before allocating the money, the government must explain why the fines are not being served on their recipients.
According to Pashiourtidis, 180,000 fines have not been served over the past four years. He clarified that this figure concerns Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots and foreigners. The MP also claims that the operator of the camera system is contractually obliged to make two attempts to serve a fine notice.
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Cost criticism
Pashiourtidis said that legislation on alternative methods of serving fines has not progressed for four years. According to him, during an earlier discussion, police told MPs that they could identify Greek Cypriots with unpaid fines at crossing points even without the new software.
Another MP, Andreas Louris of the Direct Democracy party, called the cost of the program excessive. In his view, it concerns a system that allows two databases to match a person, their identity card number and an unpaid fine.
The funds were included in the 2026 budget, but MPs approved them conditionally: the government was required to separately justify the allocation of the amount. Police had already tried to obtain permission for the payment in May, but MPs refused. The committee will continue considering the matter next week.
