The online funding method used during Nikos Christodoulides’ 2023 election campaign “was not the subject of an examination” under the Fundraising Law, according to Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou.
The minister clarified that whether an online appeal for financial support falls under the relevant legislation is determined primarily by its purpose, and not by the fact that it is conducted online or described as “crowdfunding”.
Mr Ioannou’s position is included in a reply to a parliamentary question submitted by AKEL MP Constantinos Constantinou on 14 August 2026. The question was prompted by the public discussion surrounding an online fundraising campaign by journalist and author Makarios Drousiotis to cover legal defence costs, as well as the referral of the matter to the Police for investigation of a possible violation of the 2014 Fundraising Law.
Under the law, a “fundraiser” is an appeal to the public or any group of the public, including an appeal made online, for the payment of money or other assets for specific purposes set out in the legislation.
These purposes include, among others, charitable, philanthropic, religious, environmental and animal-welfare purposes, as well as the construction of monuments.
The Interior Minister said that funding campaigns “which are not included in the definition of a fundraiser and in the specific purposes for which a fundraising licence could be issued” are not regulated by the Fundraising Law.
Election campaign funding
Regarding the funding of President Christodoulides’ election campaign, Mr Ioannou said that the specific method “was not the subject of an examination” under the Fundraising Law, since “the funding of an election campaign does not fall under these purposes and therefore does not constitute a ‘fundraiser’ within the meaning of the specific Law”.
He also noted that the income and expenditure of candidates for election to the office of President of the Republic are governed by a special legislative framework.
Under this framework, the election agent’s report includes, among other things, “the sums of money and other valuable consideration received for election expenditure purposes, as well as the grants and contributions received by the candidate”. The report is subject to an audit by the Auditor General of the Republic.
Mr Ioannou noted, however, that bringing contributions under the election legislation’s oversight system “does not preclude the investigation of any case in which indications of the commission of a criminal offence arise”.
The criterion is the purpose, not the internet
Regarding the referral of other cases of online fundraising to the Police, the Interior Minister said that this “depends on the particular factual and legal circumstances of each case”.
The factors taken into account include “the stated and actual purpose of the collection, the identity and authorisation of the organiser, the actual beneficiary of the funds, the accuracy of the representations made to the public, the existence of the required licence, where this is provided for”, as well as any indications of fraud, deception, misappropriation of funds or another criminal offence.
“The distinction is not based simply on the online method of collecting the money, but primarily on the purpose of the funding, the applicable legislative framework and the specific circumstances of each case,” he said.
According to Mr Ioannou, when the appeal concerns a purpose falling within the statutory definition of a “fundraiser”, the application of the Fundraising Law is examined, including the obligation to obtain the required licence.
By contrast, when the collection of money is intended to fund an election campaign, the relevant contributions and expenditure are examined under the special legislative framework governing the particular electoral process.
Regulation of crowdfunding under consideration
Regarding the possible modernisation or clarification of the existing legislative framework, Mr Ioannou said that his ministry “intends to examine the possibility of regulating any issues deemed necessary” in connection with the European Regulation that will enter into force in 2027 to regulate procedures and due diligence on crowdfunding platforms.
Source: CNA
