Probe witnesses may refuse to answer questions

INDEPENDENT investigator Polys Polyviou will next week begin public hearings as part of his ongoing inquiry into last month’s munitions explosion at the Evangelos Florakis naval base in Mari.

Although the number of people who will finally testify before the investigator could not yesterday be confirmed, the procedure is expected to involve several senior level officials.

According to reports the entire process will help clear or incriminate names. For example former National Guard chief Constantinos Bisbikas is said to have informed Polyviou through his lawyer that he was available to testify.

The reason for Bisbikas’ communiqué is thought to be because he wants to clear his name after he disagreed with the contents of the minutes of a February 2009 meeting recording a discussion on the storage of the munitions cargo at the Mari naval base.

Meanwhile Politis reported yesterday that two people who were involved in the handling of the fatal cargo have allegedly told Polyviou that they will refuse to answer questions if they are called to testify as part of the public hearings, which is their legal right. How this could affect the procedure was not yesterday clear as Polyviou was unavailable for comment.

 

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.