Cypriot political parties received more than €1.1 million in donations from individuals and companies connected to the Cyprus Investment Programme, commonly known as the “Golden Passports” scheme, between 2016 and 2021.
According to findings by the Audit Office, carried out at the request of the Parliamentary Committee for the Monitoring of Development Plans and Public Expenditure Control, donations were made either directly by individuals who acquired Cypriot citizenship through the scheme, or through companies linked to those individuals.
The political parties identified as having received these contributions include DISY, DIKO, EDEK, DIPA, and ELAM.
Donations from Individuals
Records indicate that private donations amounting to €180,000 were made by individuals to DISY and AKEL. These were documented in the official contribution registers submitted by the parties, and cross-referenced with the list of naturalised individuals provided to the Audit Office by the Ministry of the Interior.
Donations from companies linked to applicants
Further analysis revealed contributions totalling €299,500 made by companies associated with naturalised individuals. These donations were directed to DISY, DIKO, ELAM, and DIPA during the same 2016–2021 period.
Contributions from citizenship service providers
The Audit Office also identified €645,110 in donations from companies that provided naturalisation services as part of the citizenship programme. These amounts were distributed as follows:
- DISY: €251,600
- AKEL: €118,660
- DIKO: €248,850
- EDEK: €3,000
- DIPA: €23,000
Transparency, not accusation
The Audit Office emphasises in its special report, titled “Consolidated Report of Compliance Audit Findings on Parliamentary Political Parties for the Years 2016 to 2021”, that the purpose of this disclosure is to promote transparency. It clarifies that the acceptance of these donations by political parties is not deemed a violation of the Law on Political Parties.
Read the full report in Greek here
(Translated from the Greek original published in 24 Sports&News)
