Cypriot authorities are now rushing to finalise two inquiries that were ordered last April following the public revelation of a horrific child abuse case involving four children victimised by their father and mother. According to information given to Philenews, the two inquiries were technically completed but remained shelved, with the parents’ recent admission of guilt now “speeding up the conclusions.”
The first inquiry was administrative, ordered by the Deputy Ministry of Welfare to determine if there were omissions by Social Welfare Services officials who had been monitoring the family for years. The second was launched ex officio by the former Commissioner for the Protection of Children’s Rights, who sought answers from the Social Welfare Services, the children’s school, and the Police.
The rush follows a shocking development in the closed-door trial before the Permanent Criminal Court of Larnaca. As Philenews revealed last Wednesday, the 48-year-old father (stepfather to some of the children) and the 42-year-old mother reversed their stance and admitted to almost all charges. Specifically, they pleaded guilty to counts including exploitation in the workplace, causing psychological harm, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Additionally, the 48-year-old pleaded guilty to the charge of sexual abuse against one of the girls. Some of the charges carry penalties of up to life imprisonment.
Following this development, which introduces new facts to the high-profile case involving the torture of four of the family’s five children, Philenews immediately contacted both the Deputy Ministry of Welfare and the Office of the Commissioner for the Protection of Children’s Rights, seeking an update on the status of the inquiries.
Late yesterday afternoon, the Office of the new Deputy Welfare Minister, Klea Hadjistephanou-Papaellina, stated: “The Deputy Minister received the administrative inquiry, conducted by order of the former Deputy Minister, today (18/12/25). She will study it to make her decisions on the next steps.”
The fact that the second inquiry remained open is attributed to understaffing, an issue repeatedly raised by the former Commissioner, Despo Michaelidou. The new Commissioner, Elena Pericleous, stated that all answers from the relevant services were provided long ago.
“It is the understaffing that led to this. Although the investigation has been completed, the evaluation has not, which, in view of the trial, will be done ‘most urgently’ so that it can be utilised, because this is an issue that concerns the public, and we are also concerned about all these gaps that existed,” Ms Pericleous noted. The Commissioner stated that the evaluation is expected to be completed within the next week.
The father and mother were arrested last March by the Larnaca CID’s special unit for family violence. The case was uncovered when one of the children confided in their school about the ordeal they and their siblings had endured over the past years.