Filenews 10 February 2026 - by Despina Psyllou
The Minister of Justice rolls up his sleeves against organized crime, corruption and extortion rings, setting as his personal goal the fight against them. During a press conference, Costas Fytiris referred to the confiscation of organized crime properties, the operation of the Cypriot FBI in March, the creation of new modernized Central Prisons, the creation of the Coast Guard and other actions. The goal, as he underlined, is safety, making the commitment that "if there are rotten apples, we will eliminate them".
''The country needs to get rid of organized crime and corruption and extortion rings," underlined Mr. Fytiris. "We are dedicated and I personally am dedicated to fighting organized crime, following the laws. If there are rotten apples, we want to eliminate them and we will. It takes patience, it needs planning, it needs planning. That is what I am asking for. A lot is written on social media", but it does not mean that they are true or that this is enough for the Police to be able to arrest someone.
The Police, he said, are on constant alert for operations against organized crime, which will intensify even more. "But in order to do this, we must have evidence, we must have proof and written testimonies."
On the part of the Authorities, he also noted, "methodicality, confidentiality and absolute legality are needed". Practices, that is, opposite to those employed by organized crime which operates without rules and illegally exploits any technological development. "We cannot do the same if we do not have a law on the use of this technology," noted Mr. Fytiris.
The five pillars of the Ministry
>> Modernization of the Police: Technological means that are modern today, tomorrow may be obsolete if criminals are equipped with new, more modern ones, the Minister pointed out. "That is why the Police must be constantly reorganized in all areas," he stressed. He also referred to the Cypriot FBI, the creation of which, he said, is at an advanced stage. "The building remains, which is expected to be found in March, so that it can start operating."
>> Confiscation of assets: Tackling organized crime requires institutional and comprehensive action, he said. "I am particularly pleased to report that the Parliament has already approved critical legislation, while some additional regulations are expected to fill institutional gaps. Legislation to prosecute with measures to recover and confiscate unjustified assets is an important weapon against organized crime."
>> Upgrading the prison system: The creation of Central Prisons that meet the requirements of the 21st century are in the Minister's plans, with implementation deadlines set for five years. These structures, he said, enhance security, protect staff, prevent the networking of organized crime.
Specifically, the Minister said, new Central Prisons will be prepared outside the urban fabric with a capacity of 1,250 places. "It will be modernized in technologies and infrastructure with the aim of reducing recidivism. It will offer a closed prison, a semi-open prison and an open prison." The Central Prisons will be built on 500,000 sqm state land in central Cyprus.
>> Creation of the Coast Guard: Another important area that requires special care is maritime security and critical coastal infrastructure and the Vasilikos Energy Center, the Minister noted. "For this reason, it is necessary and will be promoted for approval by the Cabinet the creation of a Critical Infrastructure Protection Unit and the creation of a Coast Guard, independent of the Police, with modern means and technologies for surveillance and control of the entire maritime space from the coastline to the depth of the EEZ," he said. The nuclei of the Coast Guard will be the Coast Guard and the helicopter squadron. There will also be cooperation with the Ports Authority and with the vessels of the Department of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture.
>> The Fire Brigade is being modernized – 2,352 people were rescued: The summer is expected to be difficult due to climate change and timely preparation of means and personnel is needed. The modernization of the Fire Brigade is based on a plan with nine actions. Among other things, the Ministry's plans include the acquisition of the procurement of 21 fire trucks, the installation in industrial zones and critical infrastructure of 15 electro-optical sensor systems for automatic fire detection, the procurement of two drone transport vehicles and the replacement of multi-layer firefighting fleets of a new type.
The numbers are also particularly important for the Fire Brigade, as 2,351 people were rescued during 2025. In the same year, 7,154 fires were recorded, of which 3,585 were urban and 3,569 were in the countryside. Special services amounted to a total of 5,259, while false calls reached 988.
Annie Alexui: "Testimonies and testimonies are needed"
Mr. Fytiris expressed the intention to examine the complaints made through her videos by Annie Alexui in order to combat organized crime. However, he points out, testimonies and written testimonies are needed so that the Police and the Prosecutor's Office can act.
"All videos that are posted have two perspectives. One is the human aspect, what she has been through, which she narrates herself. The other concerns the complaints he makes about organized crime and even about the interior of the Police. What must and is being done is to evaluate all the information and the Attorney General's Office with the Police to carry out the necessary investigations." But, he points out, without testimonies and without written testimonies, things will be up in the air again.
Responding to the evidence in the possession of the Police in relation to Annie Alexui's complaints, he noted that "some arrests had recently been made and some were released. The state operates with laws and rules, even if we don't like them sometimes. We are obliged to follow these rules." Therefore, he noted that there must be testimonies or testimonies that the Police and the Prosecutor's Office will decide whether arrests are justified.
"We must respond to Israel's request for Aykut"
The obligation of the Republic of Cyprus to comply with the contract signed for the transfer of convicts to their country of origin was pointed out by the Minister of Justice, speaking about the Aykut case.
In particular, he referred to Israel's request for the transfer to the country of Simon Aykut, who was sentenced to five years in prison for usurping Greek Cypriot property, stressing that he must accept it and that he signed 15 such requests for other countries.
What we have somehow secured on the part of Israel, he continued, "is that it recognizes the usurpation of Greek Cypriot properties in the occupied territories. The second, he said, is that "a renewed travel advisory has been issued that recommends that Israelis not buy properties that have been built on Greek Cypriot properties."
Besides, he said, Simon Aykut due to his age can be released at half the sentence. "So, we are now talking about whether he will stay in prison for another 6-8 months. So, I believe that we cannot risk the public interest for six months in prison."
