House fury over dolphin import permit

THE HOUSE Environment committee yesterday threatened to put the government in the dock over the granting of licences for the import of dolphins.

The committee has already made plain its objection to a cabinet decision allowing an Ayia Napa dolphinarium to bring in more of the marine mammals — a move which breaches wildlife conventions to which Cyprus is signatory.

The last dolphins imported to the island died in captivity.

But the clash between state and House took on a whole new dimension yesterday.

The committee heard that Agriculture Minister Costas Themistocleous was refusing to table before them the memorandum on the issue sent to the Council of Ministers by his ministry.

Themistocleous cited the confidentiality of cabinet minutes as reason for refusing to hand over the memorandum, which Ministers considered before granting the import licence.

Committee chairman Demetris Iliades said deputies had the right to see any documents relevant to a matter they were considering.

He warned his committee would report to the plenum asking for a special investigating committee to be set up. Under a 1995 law, the investigating committee would be able to call witnesses to testify under oath.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.