Cyprus’ Justice and Public Order Minister Marios Hartsiotis said on Wednesday that organized crime in Cyprus is “imported and evolving,” as MPs pressed the government and police leadership behind closed doors in the wake of the daylight murder of Stavros Demosthenous in Limassol.

The Minister briefed the House Legal Affairs Committee on the ongoing investigation, saying there are “substantial leads” four days after the killing and expressing confidence the culprits will face justice. Police Chief Themistoklis Arnaouti also attended.

While conceding that “organized crime existed, exists and will continue to exist,” Hartsiotis argued the state’s duty is to limit its spread as much as possible. He described a notable shift: what was once “purely Cypriot” has increasingly become imported crime, with perpetrators arriving to commit offences on behalf of networks based in Cyprus or abroad—often in broad daylight.

Separately, the phone-tapping bill—originally passed in 2020 but never implemented due to technical and legal pitfalls—has been finalized by the Justice Ministry and sent to the Legal Service for vetting before going back to Parliament. Once enacted, court-authorized interception would be allowed for serious offences including murder, corruption, terrorism, espionage, human trafficking, narcotics, child pornography and money laundering. Officials argue it will be a decisive tool for prevention and rapid case-solving, a point underscored by the Demosthenous case.

Implementation lagged for years as telecom providers (fixed and mobile) lacked compliant interception infrastructure and protocols on data storage/retention. With technical issues resolved last November, lawmakers sought tighter safeguards to ensure warrants withstand judicial scrutiny and that evidence is admissible.

Hartsiotis highlighted stepped-up financial disruption of criminal networks in coordination with MOKAS, KYP, Police, Tax Department, Social Insurance, VAT, Customs and local authorities. Authorities have:

• Frozen crypto-linked assets worth €25 million;

• From Jan 2024 to May 2025, frozen €1.2 million in funds;

• Seized homes, apartments, hotels, jewelry, valuables (even ecclesiastical icons), and vehicles worth €1.1 million.

Police have specialized organized crime units, urban patrols, and visible deployments (e.g., MMAD and ZITA teams) across old Nicosia, Nicosia, Limassol and Larnaca to boost public reassurance and deterrence.

Acknowledging that mobile phones and drugs in prisons are a chronic issue, the Minister said completely eliminating them is unrealistic. The prison environment “is not airtight,” with visits, permitted outings and landline access creating channels of contact. Still, authorities are intensifying raids, criminalizing phone use and trafficking (including for visitors and staff), upgrading CCTV and preparing a signal-disabling system. He cautioned that removing mobiles alone is not a panacea against orchestrated crimes originating behind bars

DISY MP Nikos Georgiou said the Minister and Police Chief expressed confidence about solving the Limassol murder and outlined prevention measures focused on “hitting funding sources” through close cooperation with the Tax Commissioner, MOKAS and international partners. He also backed a hybrid interception framework producing admissible, real-time audio evidence.

AKEL MP Andreas Pasiourtidis warned that organized crime has become brazen, with daytime attacks in urban centers and a perceived prison nexus. He called for authorities to stay “one step ahead,” stressing prevention alongside enforcement.

MPs voiced alarm that within two years Limassol saw two morning assassinations—Demosthenous at approx. 09:30 and the earlier hit on Athanasios Kalogeropoulos at around 08:30—both planned and executed in a similar way. They warned that public safety and investor confidence, particularly in Limassol, could suffer if effective measures and modern legal tools are not deployed swiftly. Some MPs also pointed to staff shortages and new crime typologies (including high-value contract crimes and financial cyber-enabled methods) that stretch current police capabilities.

Hartsiotis maintained that not every measure is publicized, improvements are ongoing, and while organized crime will never be eradicated, it can be contained through financial disruption, technology-enabled investigations and targeted policing.