Three of Cyprus’ political parties mentioned in a report written by the audit office which highlighted financial irregularities in their operations defended themselves on Thursday.

Akel were one of the three to issue a response, insisting that it has since “taken measures” to ensure that they now comply with the law.

Those measures, the party said, “include issues such as the proper submission of consolidated financial statements, the determination of a competent body for their approval, the management of contributions, and the avoidance of exceeding permitted limits”.

It also moved to explain the fact that 19 individuals were found to have donated more than the legal limit of €50,000 in a single year to the party, saying that this had come about “due to an older practice” which saw MPs “pay their full salary to the party and subsequently receive their full salary from it”.

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The party had 16 MPs between 2016 and 2021.

It also said it had made “substantial progress” regarding “the implementation of accounting standards” compared to previously, and said the report “highlights the structural problems of the legislation itself”.

Dipa MP Alekos Tryfonides, meanwhile, spoke about the report on CyBC radio on Wednesday morning, insisting that “Dipa manages its finances transparently, with all contributions from individuals or legal entities being registered and available through the party’s website”.

The audit office’s report wrote that Dipa was one of five parties of which “discrepancies” were found between lists of donors produced on their websites and those filed to the audit office.

Tryfonides also said that “all contributions to Dipa come from registered and legal entities, without legal or ethical burdens”.

The report wrote that Dipa accepted €6,500 from entities which it said it was “unable to discern” whether or not they are registered in Cyprus.

Later in the show, Tryfonides said a delegation from his party had recently “had contact” with the audit office to “exchange views on its findings”.

The Green party, meanwhile, stressed that “other parties are alleged to have received funding from companies with suspicious or controversial histories”, and, like Akel, insisted that it has made progress towards compliance with the law since 2021.

It said it has “incorporated all the recommendations set out by the audit office, proceeding from 2023 with statutory changes, upgrading its accounting support, and establishing internal control mechanisms”.