In today’s episode, he interior ministry rejected suggestions it had been well aware of rampant abuse at the online appointment system of the migration department for months, but wilfully chose to look the other way.

A damning report pointed the finger at former interior minister Nicos Nouris, claiming that he had known about shady agents selling appointment slots but “closed his eyes” to the matter.

Elsewhere, President Nikos Christodoulides met with key EU officials where he presented the case for greater EU involvement in the efforts to break the impasse on the Cyprus problem.

Meanwhile, the US State Department’s annual human rights report on Cyprus emphasised the challenges faced by asylum seekers while it also singled out overcrowding at the prisons.

All this and more in the Cyprus Beat briefing brought to you by the Cyprus Mail.