Ruling Disy on Saturday expressed their condolences for the death of prominent lawyer and owner of the Cyprus Mail Andreas Neocleous, who passed away on Friday after suffering from coronavirus, at the age of 82.

“We were saddened to learn of the death of Andreas Neocleous, founder and first managing partner of Andreas Neocleous & Co. Ltd, a law firm that stood out and is among the largest in Europe,” the party said in a statement.

It added that this distinction was largely due to the qualities that Andreas Neocleous himself instilled in his collaborators, “hard work and honesty among others”.

From a young age, Andreas Neocleous, Disy said, had embraced the ideals of freedom and Cyprus’ independence, which he honoured by joining Eoka at just 15 years old “while later, being the diverse personality he was, he carved his own history in the country’s political affairs, also through the ranks of the Democratic Rally (Disy) by the side of Glafcos Clerides.

“The leadership and executives of the Democratic Rally send our sincere condolences to the family of Andreas Neocleous,” the party said.

Born in Episkopi, Paphos on July 3, 1939, Neocleous graduated in law from Athens University in 1964 and was admitted to the Cyprus Bar in 1965.

He went on to found Andreas Neocleous & Co. Ltd, which was later renamed Elias Neocleous & Co. Ltd.

The headquarters of the Neocleous Law Office is in Limassol, but has offices in Nicosia, Brussels, Moscow and Luxembourg. It employs around 90 lawyers in Cyprus and has 17 partners. It is the first Cypriot law firm in international evaluations.

He also founded the Neocleous Cultural Foundation which has held a series of events in Limassol and issued publications.

In 2019, Neocleous also became the owner of the Cyprus Mail, the island’s oldest newspaper.