A country where institutions and those in power feel no need whatsoever to explain even the most serious issues affecting the people—the very people who elect them and pay their salaries—to the public
Cyprus has always been—and remains today, to a much greater extent—one of the world’s largest hubs for spies. On this small island, a vast and shadowy game of international espionage is being played out, the extent of which even the state’s intelligence agencies—who throw up their hands in the face of their occasionalfindings.
Against this backdrop, a former high-ranking officer of the Israeli intelligence services is in Cyprus and is revealing activities that—if nothing else—raise serious questions and justified concern. This is Tal Dillian, who is presenting to Forbes the vast potential of a mobile data-collection mechanism that gathers information from mobile devices in the area where it operates. And, in this way, the infamous “black van” case came to light.
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Following the investigation into the case—and the uproar it caused—only WiSpear, the company that owned the van, was found guilty; it admitted to violations related to personal data. It was fined 76,000 euros, and the case was closed. That is—in a nutshell—the course of this particular case.
The Cypriot citizen never found out whose personal data had been compromised. He never found out why or how the Constitution—which protects the confidentiality of communications—was circumvented. They never learned why and how the importation into Cyprus of a device designed to monitor private communications was permitted. He never found out who granted permission for such a device to be imported into Cyprus, nor why the creators or operators of such devices feel so comfortable carrying out their activities here. He never found out what the “public interest” reasons were that the Attorney General cited to suspend the case. And, of course, he never learned the findings of independent criminal investigator Ilias Stefanou, who investigated the matter.
So this is Cyprus. The country where institutions and those in power feel no need whatsoever to explain to the people—who elect them and pay their salaries—even the most serious issues that concern them. The utter disregard for citizens by those who, at every opportunity, lecture us on our obligation to respect the institutions. Even the slightest sense of responsibility that all these gentlemen have toward Cypriot citizens would demand a different kind of behavior.
Today, the Legal Service and the Independent Anti-Corruption Authority are at odds over whether everything that needed to be done was done and who bears the greatest responsibility for failing to show the required respect toward a society that has every right to know what is happening in this country. And no, the issue here is not which of the two is right. The issue is the failure of both to do their jobs. The failure of all institutions to create the conditions for a proper democracy and the rule of law.
Cyprus will remain a haven for spies. Because everyone has now realized that nothing works properly here, no one needs to offer explanations, and the saying “let the dogs fight it out” applies to the fullest extent and, if even the slightest problem arises, the institutions will take it upon themselves to handle it, feeling that they enjoy absolute immunity. And it’s not just the spies. There are also all manner of swindlers, criminals, and traffickers in death and human exploitation.
And yet, many are vying to govern this very state…
