THE spat over the allegations of a ‘paramilitary’ group operating in the National Guard picked up speed yesterday with Akel and Disy exchanging bitter accusations alluding back to the 1974 coup.
The issue first emerged late in May after Akel deputy Costas Papacostas accused Disy of creating a ‘paramilitary’ group tasked with keeping tabs on the political persuasions of National Guard officers.
On Tuesday, Attorney-general Alecos Markides announced that a criminal investigation into the existence of such a group had failed to find any compelling evidence –.echoing the findings of a Defence Ministry inquiry last month.
The police investigation focused on documents that National Guard Colonel Avraam Marangos said were left on his desk by Colonel Loizos Fessas.
The documents are understood to have outlined the structure of the alleged paramilitary general staff, and named several of its high-ranking members, including two retired generals, who are Disy members.
But Markides said the criminal inquiry had not been able to prove there was any connection between the officers the documents name as members of the group and such an organisation.
However, an internal military investigation will examine anew the role played by Fessas and Marangos, the Attorney-general said.
Yesterday, Markides repeated the police had exhausted their investigation on the issue, unless new testimony should arise.
Markides said Papacostas’ informants should come forward and testify if the investigation were to continue.
But the investigation’s findings sparked a new round of bitter exchanges between Disy deputy Andreas Karas and Akel’s Papacostas.
Amid the heated debate over the ‘paramilitary’ group, Karas accused Papacostas of abandoning his whole company in the hands of the coupists in the Panayia village of the Paphos district.
A furious Papacostas retaliated, saying Karas had carried out interrogations and mock executions during the coup.
On the paramilitary issue, Papacostas insisted that even if no criminal offence could be proved, it did not mean the group did not exist.
He said the investigation had just begun and the documents spoke for themselves: the group had been created, and given instructions, Papacostas said.
Karas countered that Papacostas could insist as much as he wanted to.
"What matters is what the state institutions have decided: the Attorney-general found there was no criminal responsibility, and no group," Karas said.
"What counts is the Attorney-general’s decision and not what Papacostas and his party believe," he added.
Karas further critisised Papacostas for launching unfounded allegations against Disy.
He urged Akel and Papacostas to apologise for the unfair, unfounded charges against his party.
"Even after the Attorney-general’s findings Mr. Papacostas insists Disy is responsible. I think it is a shame," Karas said.
