TWO former ministers and six army and fire service offices were yesterday charged with manslaughter in connection with last year’s naval base blast, which killed 13 people and crippled Cyprus’ main power station.
Former ministers of defence and foreign affairs Costas Papacostas and Marcos Kyprianou were charged with manslaughter and causing death through a negligent act for their involvement in the events leading up to the July 11 explosion at the Evangelos Florakis naval base, which killed seven sailors and six firemen.
Three army officers and three top firemen are also facing the same charges: former National Guard commander Petros Tsalikidis, former NG deputy chief Savvas Argyrou, Colonel Georgios Georgiades – deputy commander of the third support brigade and former commander of the ordnance corps – fire service chief Andreas Nicolaou, deputy chief Charalambos Charalambous, and Andreas Loizides, the commander of the disaster response squad EMAK.
It is understood that only five were charged yesterday. Tsalikidis, a Greek national, is currently living in Greece and it was not immediately known if and when he would return to be charged.
The two ministers have denied the charges.
Kyprianou said the act was politically motivated in a bid to find someone to take the fall.
“It constitutes criminalisation of political life,” he told state broadcaster CyBC. “It is a decision that was taken… using political criteria and not on the basis of facts and legal principles.”
He added: “I consider it an effort to mislead public opinion and to find a scapegoat.”
Papacostas said he was saddened by the development but at the same time it was welcome “because it will give me the opportunity to tell it like it is in court so that the truth finally shines”.
Marios Garoyian, leader of DIKO – Kyprianou’s party – and part of a coalition government at the time, said that any omissions or actions by the former foreign minister had no criminal element and were “clearly at the level of political management”.
Papacostas and Tsalikidis resigned hours after the blast while Kyprianou declared his intention to resign a week later “not because there is a feeling of guilt but for reasons of political sensitivity”.
The government sacked Argyrou in August while Georgiades was suspended.
It is understood that some or all of those charged also face additional charges including abuse of power and dereliction of duty however the total number and nature of charges is not yet known.
The blast was caused by deteriorating munitions stored in 98 containers left exposed to the elements at the Evangelos Florakis naval base after they had been seized from a ship bound for Syria in 2009.
A public inquiry into the blast held President Demetris Christofias chiefly responsible while Kyprianou and Papacostas were blamed.
The inquiry was only tasked with identifying potential political responsibility and its findings were non-binding.
Despite the intense pressure, Christofias refused to resign and rejected the findings as unsubstantiated. He accused the investigator, lawyer Polys Polyviou, of exceeding his mandate.
Speculation ran wild for over three months over who would be charged and for what with Attorney-general Petros Clerides remaining tight-lipped.
He broke his silence last week to say that the facts did not allow for Christofias’ prosecution, regardless of his constitutional immunity.
The munitions had been seized from the Monchegorsk, a Cyprus-flagged ship bound that sailed from Iran.
It was apprehended on January 20, 2008 in the Red Sea by US warships and was ordered to dock in Limassol following an on-board search.
The USA and Israel said the cargo violated resolution 1747 of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctioning Iranian arms exports.
On January 29 and February 2, 2008 a team of Cypriot experts inspected the cargo and asked the UN Sanctions committee to confirm the breach of UNSC resolutions on Iran.
Once Cyprus got confirmation, the cargo was confiscated and unloaded onto the island on February 13.
