A new political dispute has broken out between the government and opposition parties following the Cabinet's decision to renew Andreas Paschalides' appointment for a third consecutive five-year term as president of the Independent Authority for the Investigation of Allegations and Complaints Against the Police (AADIPA).
The decision drew strong criticism from AKEL and Alma, both of which linked Paschalides' reappointment to his role as an independent criminal investigator in the VideoGate case. The parties argued that the move raises questions of conflict of interest and undermines confidence in the investigative process.
Responding to the criticism, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis accused the opposition of attempting to discredit institutions and established procedures for political and communication purposes.
In a written statement, Letymbiotis said AKEL was once again attempting to pre-empt and challenge the findings of an investigation before the process had been completed.
He argued that questioning the credibility of an independent investigator in advance was a dangerous practice that undermined institutional functioning.
Letymbiotis noted that Paschalides was already serving as president of AADIPA when he was selected as the independent criminal investigator in the VideoGate case, stressing that the appointment was not made by the Cabinet.
As a result, he rejected allegations of any political arrangement, describing such claims as “baseless and disconnected from the facts.”
He also maintained that Paschalides' two institutional roles are distinct and that the renewal of his term at AADIPA neither affects the independence of the VideoGate investigation nor creates a conflict of interest.
The government, Letymbiotis said, is awaiting the completion of the investigation with full respect for the process and has no knowledge of its outcome.
He accused the opposition of choosing to cast doubt on institutions, individuals and procedures before the investigation has concluded.
The spokesman was particularly critical of AKEL and Alma, accusing them of consistently seeking to undermine institutions and official findings.
According to Letymbiotis, both parties are pursuing what he described as a politics of blanket rejection based on impressions rather than documented evidence.
AKEL, for its part, described the decision by President Nikos Christodoulides and the Cabinet as an "institutional deviation."
The party argued that the reappointment comes at a particularly sensitive moment, only days before the expected publication of the VideoGate investigation report.
According to AKEL, serious questions arise when the investigator examining a politically sensitive case receives a renewal of his appointment from the government while the investigation remains ongoing.
The issue, the party said, is not merely legal but deeply political, as it affects perceptions of impartiality.
Alma echoed those concerns, describing the decision as an “institutional provocation” and arguing that there is an objective conflict-of-interest issue.
The party also revived previous criticism of Paschalides' performance as an independent investigator, claiming he lacks the necessary public credibility for such a sensitive role.
