Cyprus committee seeks opinion on former minister’s undeclared assets
In Cyprus, the House of Representatives’ special committee on asset and income declarations has requested a legal opinion on whether a former minister in the government of Nikos Christodoulides may have committed a criminal offence by failing to include assets worth millions of euros in his declarations. Cyprus Mail reports.
Declaration audit
According to Politis, the discrepancy was discovered during an audit conducted after the minister left office. A law that entered into force in January for the first time granted the Tax Department the authority to audit asset and income declarations of public officials.
Under the new law, failing to include assets in a declaration is a criminal offence. The Tax Department informed the parliamentary committee of the case; it is chaired by House of Representatives Speaker Anita Demetriou. Under the current rules, the committee must notify Attorney General Giorgos Savvides to consider the possibility of criminal prosecution.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Data updates
As Politis reports, the assets in question had been owned by the former minister before his appointment. At the same time, according to the outlet, he is being investigated in connection with possible tax evasion. Reports estimate the value of the undeclared assets at between €2 million and €4 million.
In April, the former minister voluntarily submitted an updated declaration for 2026 after the Tax Department said his bank accounts had not been listed in his 2023 declaration. The 2023 declaration was updated at the same time. The committee then asked for a determination of whether the previous failure to include assets in Cyprus and abroad constituted a criminal offence. The former minister’s name has not been disclosed; Politis reported that it may be made public after explanations for the omission are received.
