The Accountant General of the Republic has declined a parliamentary request to disclose the names of donors to the Independent Social Support Body (ISSB), citing a legal opinion that such a move could violate data protection laws and trigger administrative sanctions.
Andreas Antoniades, who also serves as the fund’s treasurer, informed the House Institutions Committee via letter that the Law Office had advised against releasing the identities and contribution amounts of donors from 2020 onwards. The legal opinion stated there is “no legal basis for the disclosure of the requested data” and warned that compliance could expose the fund to penalties.
Antoniades told committee chair Demetris Demetriou that providing the information would breach European Union law and general data protection principles.
Videogate scandal
The request was originally made on 15 January by Demetriou, seeking a nominal list of all natural and legal persons who had contributed to the fund over the last six years. The push for transparency follows the “Videogate” scandal earlier this month, where leaked footage allegedly showed senior officials discussing how to bypass campaign spending limits by steering foreign investors toward making “charitable donations” to the ISSB.
The scandal has already triggered the resignations of First Lady Philippa Karsera Christodoulides, who chaired the fund, and the Director of the President’s Office, Charalambos Charalambous. Critics and opposition parties allege the fund was used as a “conduit for access” to the presidency, noting that donations surged fivefold to over €2 million during the 2023 election year.
Conditions for disclosure
While the Accountant General refused the initial request, he noted that the committee could resubmit a “sufficiently justified” request. Should a new request be filed, Antoniades outlined three strict conditions:
- The names of natural persons must be replaced with initials, and corporate names must not lead to the identification of individuals.
- The data must cover a period shorter than six years to ensure Parliament does not access the bulk of the archive.
- All transmitted data must be classified as confidential to prevent unauthorised access or leaks.
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