Amid ongoing political and legal debate over proposed legislation to separate the powers of the Attorney General, the Cyprus Bar Association (CBA) has issued a clarifying statement following the resignation of prominent legal expert Elias Stephanou from the Criminal Law and Evidence Committee.
In its announcement issued Wednesday evening, the CBA confirmed that it has not yet taken a definitive position on the bills under discussion and will only do so after a thorough internal review by its expert committees.
A sensitive and complex matter
The issue was most recently examined at the 10 September 2025 meeting of the House Legal Affairs Committee, where the President of the CBA Board raised preliminary concerns over the legal and constitutional complexity of the proposed reforms.
The Bar Association underlined that the matter is “particularly sensitive” and requires in-depth legal study before any official stance is adopted.
Next steps: internal review underway
According to the statement:
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The draft legislation is currently being evaluated by the relevant expert committees of the Bar Association, each focusing on different specialised areas of law.
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Once these assessments are complete, the issue will be referred to the Board of the CBA, which will determine the Association’s final and official position.
The CBA has assured its members that it will formally communicate its decision once the process concludes.
Institutional role, not political pressure
The Bar Association continues to play a consultative, institutional role in the debate, seeking to maintain a balanced and evidence-based approach. The controversy over the separation of prosecutorial and legal advisory powers of the Attorney General has generated intense discussion — both legally and politically — across Cyprus’s legal and constitutional community.
