Party leaders and former officials share 51 police guards

A TOTAL of 51 policemen are being paid to guard party heads and former state officials, the Justice Ministry said in an announcement on Tuesday, declining to identify how many were based on security grounds.

The announcement was a response to a question by the Greens’ MP Yiorgos Perdikis, who then lambasted Justice minister Ionas Nicolaou for failing to disclose the details.

But despite Nicolaou’s reluctance, by Wednesday the requested information was leaked to daily Politis.

According to the paper, former president Demetris Christofias has 12 policemen guarding him, after a senior police officer confirmed that three years after the end of his term, the threat to his life by individuals or groups continues to exist.

Averof Neophytou, Andros Kyprianou and Nicolas Papadopoulos, leaders of DISY, AKEL and DIKO, respectively, have six guards each, with former House chairman Vasos Lyssarides trailing them with five.

EDEK leader Marinos Sizopoulos has been assigned four policemen for his protection, whereas former president Yiorgos Vasiliou has a detail of three men.

Despite no longer heading a political party, Demetris Syllouris – formerly head of EVROKO – and Nicos Koutsou – formerly head of Neoi Orizontes – maintain their assigned two policemen, as do the Citizens’ Alliance head Yiorgos Lillikas and former House chairman Marios Garoyian.

Former House chairman Alexis Galanos, as well as Mimi Kyprianou, widow of former president Spyros Kyprianou, have a one-man protection detail.

It is expected that sitting House Speaker Yiannakis Omirou, currently under the watchful eye of nine policemen, will soon be added to the list.

Although entitled to a police guard as a former First Lady, Fotini Papadopoulou, widow of former president Tassos Papadopoulos, has waived the right.

And Perdikis, who kicked up a fuss on this issue, has also waived his right to two policemen protecting him, instead pocketing a monthly €1,000.

The police members were seconded to protect party heads and former state officials on decision of the cabinet, in turn on the strength of police recommendations.

Each policeman, Politis reported, costs the taxpayer a monthly €2,500.

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.