A new investigative committee will be appointed by the attorney-general to determine responsibility for delays in the recall of Takata airbags, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis announced on Thursday.

The decision follows the dissolution of the previous committee, which had been set up by the cabinet. This move aims to ensure the inquiry has greater authority and independence, free from legal constraints that might limit its scope.

Letymbiotis, speaking on CyBC’s morning radio, explained that the decision was made based on a recommendation from President Nikos Christodoulides. He emphasised that this step was taken to expedite the investigation and expand its scope rather than cause delays.

“If the original committee had been kept, it could have reached the limits of its remit, requiring a new committee from the legal service to be nominated later to complete the investigation,” he said.

By placing the inquiry under the attorney-general’s jurisdiction from the outset, the government hopes to streamline the process and prevent potential limitations that could have emerged with the initial structure.

Earlier in February, Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades announced a three-person committee, led by former Supreme Court judge Costas Pamballis, alongside deputy auditor-general Kyriakos Kyriakou and Nicosia bar association president Stephanos Skordis.

Their mandate was to review the legal and procedural aspects of the recall process, assessing whether the transport department, importers, and distributors had met their responsibilities.

However, under the new approach, the composition and remit of the committee may now change to align with the attorney-general’s directives.

The investigation is expected to examine the root causes of the recall delays, dating back to Cyprus’ accession to the EU in 2004. A major focus will be on why many vehicles in the country lacked EU-type approval and why authorities failed to establish an effective system to notify owners about recalls.

“The key question is whether the transport department fulfilled its oversight duties as expected. The committee will determine this based on legal requirements,” Vafeades had stated earlier.

Questions have also been raised about regulatory oversight and whether sufficient consumer protection measures were in place. If shortcomings are identified, the findings could have legal repercussions, potentially holding officials accountable for systemic failures.

Sources indicate that the legal service nominees may have the authority to scrutinise the roles of high-ranking officials, potentially shifting the inquiry’s focus from administrative lapses to political accountability. Letymbiotis stressed that, regardless of who appoints the committee, it will operate independently, free from state supervision.

“This is a crucial assurance, aiming to dispel concerns over political interference and reinforce public trust in the investigation’s credibility,” he said.

On Friday, it was confirmed that Attorney-General George Savvides will proceed with appointing the investigative committee, following President Christodoulides’ recommendation.

Deputy government spokesman Yiannis Antoniou explained that because the committee will examine past actions of political figures and state officials, it was deemed more appropriate for the appointment to be handled by the attorney-general, as stipulated by law.

“Since the committee will investigate political figures and state officials, we believe it is more appropriate for it to be appointed by the attorney-general, as the law stipulates,” Antoniou told CNA.

He referenced legal provisions enacted after the Mari explosion and the 2013 banking crisis, which state that when state officials may be implicated, the legal service should handle the appointment to ensure impartiality.

During Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, President Christodoulides proposed that, to guarantee the neutrality of the process, the committee members should be appointed by the legal service. The cabinet accepted his proposal and the president formally communicated his request to Savvides, who confirmed he would proceed accordingly.

Asked when the committee members would be appointed, Antoniou said that the matter now rests with the attorney-general. He added that the committee, once established, will operate independently, without oversight from either the cabinet or the attorney-general.

The previously appointed three-member committee will not assume duties under the new framework.

The revised approach is intended to ensure a more effective and transparent investigation into the delayed recalls of Takata airbags.

When contacted by the Cyprus Mail, Letymbiotis reiterated that the change was made “to speed up the process and solve the issue of the delay more efficiently.”