THE ATTORNEY-general’s office said yesterday that by next month they would have a clearer picture regarding the police investigation into the Helios flight that killed 121 people three years ago on Thursday.
Petros Clerides and deputy Attorney-general Akis Papasavvas are currently studying the detailed 300-page long report compiled by the police that was handed to them two weeks ago, and have vowed that there would be no further delay in deciding whether or not criminal proceedings should be pursued. It is widely believed that the police had not made any recommendation on the matter in their report.
Friends and relatives of the victims of the plane crash have repeatedly voiced their anger and frustration at the delay of the Cypriot Legal Services to reach a verdict on the case that they hope will apportion blame and allow them to seek legal redress in civil courts, while last week Greek authorities put further pressure on the Attorney-general by filing charges ranging from murder to negligence against six former Helios Airways officials.
Papasavvas maintained yesterday that the AG’s office would be using all the material at its disposal, saying that as well as the recent police report into the tragedy, they would also be examining the other two high profile investigations into the crash before making any decision.
“There is the investigative report from the police that we received recently that the Attorney-general and I are examining, while the Legal Services also have the Tsolakis and Kallis reports,” he said. “Once we finish looking at the report separately we will meet to discuss and conclude, based on the evidence that we have in front of us, what the next step will be. By the beginning of September things should start to become clearer.”
As the three-year time limit for filing a law suit regarding the crash was due to expire, Papasavvas admitted that there was no more time to waste.
“There is no place for summer holidays, the bulk of work to be done is there. The conditions are such that there is no scope for and there will be no unnecessary delay,” he told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) yesterday.
Last week the House Legal Affairs Committee discussed potential problems that could arise if and when criminal proceedings into the crash were initiated, as Greek and Cypriot authorities would have to come to some sort of agreement to avoid possible jurisdiction complications in prosecutions involving the Helios air tragedy.
A number of relatives have already filed suits against the Republic for negligence and omissions they say led to the worst aviation disaster in Cypriot history, while some relatives living in Greece have launched suits in Greek courts against former airline Helios and plane manufacturers Boeing. Others have reached out-of-court settlements with Boeing and the now defunct Helios.
