Appealing to parliamentarians to be particularly careful in their decisions in relation to the "very serious issue of government bills" to reform the Legal Service, Attorney General Giorgos Savvidis addressed on Monday, while warning of disastrous consequences if the laws passed are deemed unconstitutional.
The issue was at the center of the debate on the Legal Service budget for the year 2026 in the Parliamentary Finance Committee.
The Attorney General reiterated that he maintains serious constitutional reservations about the bills, adding that he signed the explanatory memorandum noting his reservations in writing and not to create an "unprecedented obstacle to the will of the executive branch."
At the same time, he expressed serious concerns about the possibility of the law being ruled unconstitutional after the entire structure of the Legal Service has been set up, stating that this "would be disastrous".
At the same time, he referred to the possibility that the President of the Republic would refer the law after its passing to test its constitutionality in court, as the Minister of Justice had mentioned. In such an eventuality, he said he would not be the PtD's lawyer at the Supreme Constitutional Court himself, but would likely secure legal advice from his own lawyer. However, he expressed the opinion that the President will ultimately not do so, while he also assessed that even if he does, it will be difficult for the bills to fall to the Supreme Constitutional Court when there is agreement between the executive power and the Parliament.
The Attorney General emphasized that the relevant changes "are possibly the biggest of the Republic of Cyprus". As he noted, this reform presupposes the amendment of important articles of the Constitution, as it changes both the constitutional structure and the functioning of the criminal justice system.
"I call on everyone to be extremely careful in their decisions," he said.
At the same time, he said that further consultations were held on the issue of the unaudited decisions of the Attorney General and with the Supreme Court. As a result, he said a bill has been prepared that is under legislative review, and he said he expects it to be completed soon.
He also referred to the law proposal of DIKO MP Christianas Erotokritou with an emphasis on the uncontrollable, characterizing it as interesting. He said the proposal solves 90% of the constitutional problems by abandoning segregation, but expressed reservations about the issue of review and how the courts can be superseded.
An issue of proportionality in the demand for the return of funds for the Royal Palace is being considered
Referring to the European Commission's request for the return of the funds given to Vasilikos' project, he said that the Legal Service was actively involved in handling the response to the European authorities.
He said that they are in the process of making final decisions and think that there may be an issue of proportionality; that perhaps the full amount should not be asked back, or at all. He noted that decisions will be made soon.
At the same time, he said that the investigation of the case has come under the control of the European Public Prosecutor's Office, which does not allow the Legal Service to carry out any investigation.
He also stated that the Legal Service is only a lawyer for the Ministry of Energy, but entities such as DEFA and ETYFA have their own lawyers and the Legal Service has no say in the management of DEFA and ETYFA contracts.
Regarding the issue of the GSI pipeline, he said that they are involved in the discussions of the Republic of Cyprus with ADMIE and the Hellenic Republic, but the different legal entities also have their own lawyers. He added that they are still not involved in the investigation of various matters since they are being investigated by the European Public Prosecutor's Office.
Budget of 31 million euros for 2026
On the financial side, the Legal Service's budget for 2026 amounts to €31 million and covers the needs of both the Service itself and the Office of the Legislative Commissioner and the Independent Police Allegations and Complaints Authority.
The absorption of funds for 2025 is estimated at 95%, compared to 90% in 2024 as Mr. Savvidis said.
The Legal Service, consisting of 12 areas of law, demonstrates, according to the Attorney General, a multifaceted work that extends from opinions and legal technical control to the handling of complex criminal and international cases.
Progress on corruption issues
On the corruption front, Mr. Savvidis particularly focused on the operation of the Corruption Investigation Coordination Group, which was created in 2023 and coordinates the handling of serious cases. He cited the European Commission's Rule of Law Report (2025), which acknowledged the improvement in corruption investigations.
In 2024, he said, there were five convictions for corruption offences, fourteen cases in the field of sports and one case was investigated by the European Public Prosecutor's Office.
Six new investigations were initiated in 2025, with a significant number of cases involving local authorities and lower levels of public administration.
In relation to the Cyprus Investment Program, 26 natural and legal persons are under prosecution for corruption, while other investigations are still ongoing.
According to the presentation of the Attorney General, MO.K.A.S. saw a 62% increase in money recovery measures in 2024, with total commitments of more than €8 million.
He said that the Legal Service is particularly concerned about the issue of corruption and they are working on better coordination and more efficient management of cases. He noted that the Government recently approved an increase in the benefits of public prosecutors.
Mr. Savvidis noted that corruption is not a Cypriot phenomenon, but exists in many countries.
He also emphasized that today's excellent cooperation with the Auditor General contributes significantly to solving problems, something that was not done in the past.
At the same time, he acknowledged that, although the Police has competent and reliable officers, there are still gaps in the investigation of financial crime.
The Attorney General welcomed the recruitment of chartered accountants in the Police and the training carried out with the assistance of the United States, pointing out that all these will help.
"If we consider how many famous people have been brought to court in Cyprus, it is unfair to say that there are no consequences," he said.
Modernization of the Legal Service
At the same time, he referred to the modernization of the Legal Service through digitization, with full operation of the e-Law, e-OASIS and KELIO systems. More than 85,000 files and 7 million images have already been digitized, he said, creating for the first time a comprehensive historical archive of the Service.
In the field of staffing, in 2025 7 vacant positions of Senior Lawyers of the Republic were filled, while from 2020 a total of 135 organizational positions have been filled.
He also said that they have tried to cultivate in NY the culture of reacting to various legal issues as quickly and efficiently as possible. He also said that the restructuring that took place in the various departments has helped to have a structure and hierarchy of experienced and specialized officers, while the cooperation between the departments has also improved.
At the same time, he noted that the legal matter has increased significantly with many specialized issues and requires much more staff now and requested that there be provision for more staff in the future. He also said that NY also uses fixed term attorneys which is the ideal solution but some needs must be met.
He also noted the role of the Legal Service academy stating that it has produced a huge amount of work and has helped by providing specialist knowledge.
At the same time, he noted that the Legal Service is preparing for an active role during the upcoming Cyprus Presidency of the EU Council. in 2026, with participation and chairmanship in 15 Working Groups.
The Attorney General also referred to the chronic issue of housing the Legal Service, noting that, despite the summary in the budget of 150 thousand euros for the re-announcement of a tender after its sudden cancellation in 2023, the executive power is forced to give priority to the implementation of the project since the building in which the headquarters of the Service is housed has no other prospect.
Placements of MPs
Placed within the Commission, the President of the Commission, DIKO Member of Parliament Christiana Erotokritou, asked the Attorney General for the opinion of the Attorney General on the proposed law she submitted for the reform of the Legal Service, stating that it purposefully leaves the judiciary out of the issue of examining the unaudited and institutes the Committee made up of members of the Legal Service to review the process.
DISY MP and President of the Legal Committee, Nikos Tornaritis, noted that the Legal Committee has always maintained a very good and productive collaboration with the Legal Service.
He also expressed the opinion that the first level of reform of the Legal Service should be focused on the justification of decisions - the so-called uncontrollable -, which precedes any separation of powers of the Attorney General.
At the same time, he demanded that every phenomenon of corruption be suppressed.
"Wherever there is corruption, you have to nip it in the bud, without regard to party identities or any other expediency," he said.
DISY MP Haris Georgiadis asked the Attorney General a question regarding the European Commission's decision to recover the state aid concerning Vasiliko and whether the Legal Service will challenge the Commission's decision.
DISY MP Savia Orfanidou asked about a possible investigation into the GSI company, evolution of the EuroAsia Interconnector and corruption issues that might link it to public contracts or projects.
In his statement, the AKEL MP, Andreas Pasiourtidis, wondered what the attitude and reaction of the Attorney General would be in the event that the Parliament goes ahead and votes on the reform concerning the operation and structure of the Legal Service.
At the same time, he asked for a file with statistics on how many cases are suspended or lost due to incomplete investigation, in order, as he said, to have an objective picture of the effectiveness of the system and investigative authorities.
He also questioned the effectiveness of the employment of fixed-term attorneys in NY.
Nicosia MP Alexandra Attalidou stated that the debate on reform cannot ignore that there is a deep crisis of confidence in the rule of law in Cyprus and that any discussions on budget support and reform must restore people's confidence in the rule of law in Cyprus.
At the same time, he told the Attorney General that for the case against protesters, the Legal Service does not give the conclusion of the Independent Investigation Authority for Allegations and Complaints against the Police to the judge who has requested it.
