The three-member committee appointed to investigate the supply of vehicles from the EU, the import of vehicles from third countries and the recall of those cars was sworn in on Wednesday, pledging to keep committee meetings open to ensure transparency.

A major part of the investigation will be the faulty Takata airbags which have been linked to at least two deaths.

Chairman of the new committee, appointed on Tuesday, is former Supreme Court judge Michalakis Christodoulou and chairman of the Bar Association Michalis Vorkas and member of the Audit Service Theodosios Hadjimichail.

The members were sworn in before attorney-general George Savvides, who said he expected the new committee to successfully fulfil its mission and determine the evidence, facts and possible omissions of anyone involved in the matter under investigation.

He also said the committee should point out any legislative gaps and propose improvements, so that similar issues do not arise in the future.

Christodoulou said the broad terms of the committee’s mandate was “interpreted as an effort to determine bad practices in our country regarding the import of vehicles, which hundreds of thousands of our compatriots use”.

“We lost the lives of two young people and if there is any gap we hope to find it,” the committee’s chairman said.

He assured the attorney-general that “we will fulfil our duties, as provided for by the relevant law and regulations” and that “we will remain faithful to the oath we have given.”

Christodoulou said the committee’s meetings would be open to ensure transparency.

“Tomorrow, I will call the first meeting of our committee, so that we can draft a roadmap, mark a course in relation to the duties we have been assigned,” he added.

The committee will investigate the import and supply of cars from the EU in Cyprus, whether they bore approved standards or not, and the regulations and procedures observed by the state for the recall of vehicles from third countries – the so-called grey recalls.

It will also investigate the circumstances leading up to the Road Transport Department (TOM) circular in March 2017 regarding recalls, as well as the monitoring and implementation of that circular.

Furthermore, the committee is called upon to determine if the import and supply of vehicles from third countries should have been or was supervised at any time.

The committee will scrutinise the actions or omissions of any person, including but not limited to distributors, manufacturer representatives and importers of new or used cars.

Any liabilities will be evaluated and proposals for improvements will be made.

The committee is at liberty to investigate any other relevant issues it deems necessary.

The investigation will cover the period from Cyprus’ accession to the EU to the issuing of the decree on recalls.

The committee’s report will be submitted to the attorney-general within three months or later if decided so by the attorney-general himself.

The members have signed a statement that they have no personal interest in the matters under investigation.

A previous committee set up by the cabinet had been dissolved to ensure the inquiry has greater authority and independence, free from legal constraints that might limit its scope.

The issue of recalls made headlines when two people died in faulty-airbag incidents caused when Takata airbags suffer a fault related to exposure to high levels of heat or humidity.

This explosion can shoot the airbag’s metal inflator outwards and in the direction of the person it was designed to protect, potentially causing further injuries or, in some cases, death.

It is believed the death of 24-year-old Kyriakos Oxynos in January 2023 was caused in part by a faulty airbag.

More recently, it is now believed that the death of 19-year-old Styliani Giorgalli in October may also have been caused by a faulty Takata airbag.