AKEL General Secretary Stefanos Stefanou launched a barrage of criticism against the government and Legal Service over the “black spy van” affair, accusing them of “deafening silence” and “a deliberate choice to cover up” the scandal.
Stefanou argued that their silence “is not a neutral stance. It is a political choice, a choice to cover up, a choice to protect certain interests.” He demanded answers about “whom they are protecting” and “how far this cover‑up goes”.
“Why won’t they publish the public interest reasons?”
Stefanou questioned why the President has not responded to AKEL’s request to reopen the investigation, and why the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General refuse to disclose the “public interest reasons” they cited when they halted the criminal prosecution of Tal Dilian.
He noted that Dilian’s company “has already admitted guilt and was convicted, even if only with a derisory fine”.
According to Stefanou, the stance of the government and the Legal Service “justifiably creates the impression that this is not mere inertia but deliberate tolerance, if not a cover‑up, of the institutional entanglement and corruption revealed behind the mass surveillance scandal”.
Parliamentary evidence “leaves no room for misinterpretation”
Referring to the parliamentary discussion initiated by AKEL, Stefanou said evidence submitted to MPs “left no room for misinterpretation”, arguing that it demonstrated “relationships, transactions and connections between the Anastasiades government, the then‑ruling DISY party and the companies involved in the surveillance operations”.
Citing Tal Dilian’s public statement that his company cooperates “only with governments and law enforcement authorities,” Stefanou claimed this “confirms cooperation with state mechanisms in Cyprus”.
Points raised by Stefanou
He listed a series of claims:
- “The infamous van entered the country with false documentation,” declared as a weather‑monitoring vehicle even though it was equipped for mass interception, suggesting “someone turned a blind eye”.
- The same company undertook work on critical infrastructure, including Larnaca Airport, with technology that, according to Dilian himself, allowed mobile phone surveillance, and “more than 9 million devices were monitored”.
- Evidence exists that authorities knew of illegal activities since 2014 and failed to act.
- DISY figures attempted to facilitate the company’s commercial expansion abroad, citing related electronic communications.
- Even the Police had dealings with Dilian’s company, with relevant invoices “presented in Parliament”.
Stefanou added that “in Greece, former spies were convicted, while in Cyprus not only were they acquitted, they are also being protected”.
“Not just a scandal, but a threat to the rule of law”
The AKEL leader stressed that “this is not merely a scandal” but “a direct threat to the rule of law, human rights, citizens’ privacy and democracy itself”.
“When citizens are monitored en masse and when such practices are covered up, we are no longer talking about a rule‑of‑law state. We are talking about an aberration,” he warned.
Calls for reopening the case
He concluded by demanding that “the case, which was closed hastily and unjustifiably, must be reopened”, insisting that answers must be given and responsibilities assigned.
“Society does not forget and will not accept silence,” Stefanou said.