Cyprus investigates leak of police data to criminals: more than ten officers suspended in six months

Criminal and disciplinary investigations are under way in Cyprus against police officers who accessed police information systems without authorisation. The investigations were prompted by an anonymous complaint to the Anti-Corruption Directorate, which alleged that some officers had downloaded data and documents from official databases and passed them on to criminal organisations.

The complaint itself did not proceed to the verification stage. The Directorate rejected it because it was anonymous and it was unable to contact the complainant to request further details. The department notes that anonymity is a common feature of most complaints it receives, and is precisely what most often prevents investigations from being brought to a conclusion.

At the same time, separate cases involving unauthorised access to databases are already being investigated. This was reported by Nikos Loizidis, head of the police branch of the nationwide police union Isotita. According to him, each officer has two separate codes — one to log in to a computer and the other to work with the database; access is limited to the sections required for official duties, while management can see at any time who accessed the system and what actions they performed there.

Cyprus Police Chief Themistos Arnaoutis had already warned about this in a circular dated 20 December 2024. The document stated that there would be strict disciplinary and criminal consequences for those who pass information about cases under investigation to criminals, journalists or members of the public, as well as for those who access databases without authorisation and share data with third parties.

Justice Minister Costas Fitiris told the state broadcaster that he was unaware of the publication but would not ignore it: “We will not ignore any information, especially information of such gravity.” He asked the anonymous complainant to send the materials to him personally. According to the minister, more than ten police officers have been suspended from duty over the past six months for breaching their oath, and those whose guilt is confirmed by a court will be dismissed: “There is no other way; the police must be cleaned up.”