The Law Office on Tuesday clarified that the official inquiry into Takata airbags had included the years 2023 and 2024, rejecting claims that these periods were excluded, after families said they had been left “in the dark” nearly two years after the first fatal incident.

The investigative report was sent to the chief of police on July 15, following a preliminary legal review, with instructions to investigate all possible criminal offences. The police remain responsible for updating families on progress.

Families of two young people killed by defective airbags told the House human rights committee on Monday that they had received no updates. Maria Loui, mother of 21-year-old Kyriakos Oxinos, who died in January 2023, said she would appeal to the European Court of Human Rights if justice was not served.

During the session, the committee reviewed the enforcement of law 51(I)/2016 on the protection and support of crime victims, alongside the findings of the official inquiry. Loui also referred to the death of 23-year-old Styliani Giorgalli, who died in October 2024, questioning why the inquiry originally only covered incidents up to 2023.

“For us, it is unthinkable not to investigate 2024 as well,” she said. 

“We believe the police and the Law Office must do their work properly and assign responsibility. Justice for our children is the least comfort we can have.”

Committee chairwoman Irene Charalambides said the body would continue to monitor the issue until accountability is delivered. 

“The human rights committee will return to the matter of the killing of these two young people until accountability is achieved,” she said.

She added that, although parliament passed a law in 2022 to guarantee victims’ rights, families were still not being informed about the progress of investigations, which she said violated article 8 of law 51(I)/2016. Charalambides also questioned why the inquiry’s timeframe initially ended in 2023, despite Giorgalli’s death the following year, and raised concerns about possible negligence by transport department officials.

But the Law Office issued a statement on Tuesday morning, following Monday’s committee session, describing as “unfounded and inaccurate” claims that 2023 and 2024 had been excluded from the inquiry. It confirmed the terms of reference were published in the official gazette on March 11 and cover the period from Cyprus’ EU accession until the decree. The investigative report has been sent to police with instructions to probe all criminal offences. The attorney-general expressed sympathy for the victims’ families and expects investigations to be completed promptly.

The committee said it would send a formal letter to the chief of police seeking clarity on whether investigations have been extended to cover 2023 and 2024.

MP Alexandra Attalides described the affair as “a major scandal” and “clear proof that the state failed to enforce the law and protect victims”. She highlighted that, 14 years after the global Takata airbag recall, Cyprus still has thousands of affected vehicles immobilised and two fatalities linked to the defect.

“This is not just a scandal, it is a tragedy that shows laws exist only on paper,” Attalides said. She called for full political, disciplinary, and criminal accountability, proper compensation for victims, and a structural reform of the system “that allowed this tragedy to happen.” 

Attalides pledged that her party, Volt, would continue to pursue the matter “until justice is served.”