Audit service denied access to review gun permits

The government has denied access to the audit service to review gun permits given to seven former state officials and politicians on a special licence, it emerged on Friday after a House Finance Committee session.

Special licences may be given out if applied for, but Auditor-General Odysseas Michaelides said that the service has been denied reviewing these records, while also claiming that people that had been given citizenship under the golden passport scheme also have licences to carry firearms.

In a memo to the parliament, Michaelides claimed that his service has been denied access to this information by President Nikos Christodoulides.

The audit service decided to carry out the investigation after uncovering cases of people who secured golden passports carrying weapons for security purposes. Such a case was recently revealed in the case of the black spy van, which had allegedly been sponsored by the Israeli government.

Another case that has come to light concerns Russian citizens with Cypriot passports who have obtained firearms licences not only for themselves, but also for their bodyguards. A case involving a person allegedly possessing two pistols was forwarded to the audit service in the form of a complaint.

Based on a confidential letter submitted to parliament by the justice ministry in January 2020 and revealed by Politis, seven former and current high-profile political figures hold firearms licences for their personal security. In fact, the politicians in question are registered as “special police officers”, meaning they can move freely while both they and their bodyguards are armed.

The letter also claims that on average, between 45 and 55 firearms licenses are issued or renewed for the personal safety of their owners or the safety of their families and property.

Michaelides said his claims had been denied by Police Chief Stelios Papatheodorou. He wrote in his letter that he had made two requests to carry out audits on the issue of firearm licences.

However, he said, “in both cases, the Chief of Police admitted that the matter falls within our jurisdiction … The Chief of Police, while saying he recognises our authority to carry out audits, is denying us the opportunity to take the matter to the Supreme Constitutional Court.”

He added, “by refusing to provide us with the relevant evidence … he is preventing our constitutionally-mandated work from being carried out.”

He also said he is being denied access to records for traffic fines that vanished without being paid. He said in his letter that he would like to the know the names of the individuals who had their traffic fines wiped from the record as the proceeds from the fines should have gone to the state.