Pafos Live 5 January 2024
There was no follow-up following the serious allegations made by the Minister of Interior to the Cyprus Bar Association against its members for involvement in the illegal issuance of residence permits to foreigners. Constantinos Ioannou also referred to complaints he received, which also concern non-governmental organizations.
Lawyers promise foreigners that they will arrange for a residence permit to be issued in the Republic of Cyprus, if the interested parties pay them €2,000 to €3,000.
The Minister of the Interior referred to the involvement of lawyers, announcing that he submitted complaints to the disciplinary board of the Bar Association regarding the involvement of its members in the issue of immigration.
As regards the specific applications allegedly undertaken by these lawyers, these are cases which cannot be approved since they do not meet the criteria.
"This is not the first time we have made complaints about the rings. They have been officially done and are before the disciplinary body of the Bar Association", said the Director of the Office of the Minister of Interior, Loizos Hadjivassiliou.
According to the Ministry of Interior, there is a legal procedure in which complaints filed against specific law firms are examined.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, when asked about this, also referred to complaints he received concerning non-governmental organizations.
However, the game of mocking immigrants does not stop at residence permits, since there are also trafficking rings. Arrests have also been made recently, while the ring operating in the triangle of Syria, Lebanon and Cyprus became known.
