‘If I hadn’t posted the video nothing would have been done’, lawyer says

By Andria Kades

Nothing prevented the justice ministry or police chief from suspending the two officers seen beating up a young man, 26, in a video recorded last year made public this week, the head of a police watchdog said on Thursday.

According to the chairman of the Independent Authority for the Investigation of Allegations and Complaints against Police (IAIACAP) Andreas Spyridakis, although it is uncommon “in my personal opinion they could have been suspended” even before the investigation was completed.

It still remains unclear whether the Polis Chrysochous police, where the incident took place in February 2014, reported the two policemen to superiors who could have taken action.

From the IAIACAP’s part, Spyridakis told the Cyprus Mail that their own criminal investigator did not recommend suspension to the attorney-general while the investigation was ongoing “as it is not common practise”. He told the Cyprus News Agency this was not deliberate but an “omission.”

Citing unconfirmed information, he said the two policemen, who are expected to be charged today or tomorrow may be abroad.

“They should have and could have suspended them,” the man’s lawyer Epaminondas Korakides told the Cyprus Mail.

This directly contradicts earlier statements by the Justice Minister Ionas Nicolaou who said police could not take any measures until the investigation was over.

“Of course they could, but this is all a cover up. If I hadn’t posted the video nothing would have happened,” Korakides said.

When his client filed the complaint to the IAIACAP a year ago, the police would not release the CCTV footage. They had to get a court order forcing them to hand it over. Nicolaou branded the video “shameful” in his statement.

“This video was shown in a public court procedure and I had every right to upload it online,” Korakides said.

“It was not my move to upload it that was reprehensible, the statement of the attorney-general is reprehensible who said it should not have been posted online.”

“I took action because the complaint was filed in February in 2014 but they did nothing. They kept it secret,” Korakides said.

The issue over how long it took has embroiled the Attorney-general Costas Clerides, Spyridakis and Nicolaou in their own row with the latter saying “the fact that there was a delay in the investigation (by the IAIACAP) is sad”.

Spyridakis hit back saying there was no delay and these investigations are time consuming. “Just to give you an understanding, the criminal investigator had two or three large box files of witness statements he had to go through.”

On May 19, the Legal Service received IAIACAP’s findings which said that the officers should be prosecuted. On June 26, the order to do so was issued, Clerides was quoted as saying by state broadcaster CyBC.

This brings to light yet another contradiction, as both Korakides and Nicolaou insist the criminal investigator found no criminal offence. Despite the finding, Clerides decided they should be prosecuted, according to the allegation.