An anonymous complaint submitted to the Independent Anti-Corruption Authority concerning the placement of mobile cameras on the road network has been shelved. According to the complainant’s allegations, executives of the company that manages the cameras instructed operators to place them at locations different from those indicated by the Police, with the aim of trapping drivers and increasing revenue from out-of-court fines.
The Anti-Corruption Authority carried out a preliminary examination of the complaint but concluded that it does not fall within its remit. It therefore decided to end the process of further investigation and file the case.
The authority’s reasoning
According to the findings of the preliminary examination, an online search and a check of the Registrar of Companiesestablished that the company concerned is privately owned and provides services to the Republic of Cyprus under a relevant agreement.
The authority cited Article 6(2) of the law governing its establishment and operation, which sets out its powers to investigate acts of corruption in the public sector, the wider public sector and the private sector.
As noted in the decision, complaints concerning private sector persons fall within the authority’s remit when they are linked to the involvement of public or wider public sector persons. This applies both to acts of corruption in the private sector involving public sector persons and to acts of corruption in the public sector involving natural or legal persons from the private sector.
Based on the evidence from the preliminary examination, the authority concluded that the complaint concerned exclusively a private sector company and therefore did not fall within its remit.
