Cyprus prepares audit of 1974 prisoner-of-war lists
Cyprus’ Audit Office is preparing a report on the lists of people recognized as prisoners of war in 1974 and the corresponding benefits paid to them. The review is taking place amid claims that some people may have been mistakenly included in the registers, after which they received €1,000 every six months.
As Cyprus Mail reports, Auditor General Andreas Papaconstantinou has already received materials in this case. The Audit Office’s findings are planned to be made public soon.
Comparison of several lists
Vassos Christou, head of the prisoners-of-war association, told the Phileleftheros newspaper that a former presidential commissioner had informed him about the possible improper inclusion of 60 to 70 people on the lists of missing persons. At the same time, the association does not claim that all these cases are fraud, but is seeking an audit to establish who was actually held captive.
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According to Christou, auditors must compare the lists of the Red Cross, the National Guard and the Ministry of Interior with the data of benefit recipients. He insists that the Red Cross list should be decisive, as it includes people registered during their release by Turkish forces.
Dispute over confirmation of status
Earlier, Christou told the parliamentary committee on refugees that some people may have obtained certificates of prisoner-of-war status from the National Guard without proper grounds. According to his claims, officials allegedly signed such certificates, which were subsequently accepted by the Ministry of Defence.
The Ministry of Defence stated that it had checked the names of applicants against the Red Cross list, but the prisoners-of-war association disputes this. Christou also said that after the Auditor General’s findings, police may take statements from people who are not on the relevant registers. In his view, possible offences may concern both people improperly included on the lists and those who signed certificates without proper grounds. He also called for the recovery of funds from those who, according to the review’s results, may have received payments under false pretences.
