A sweeping report by an independent Investigative Committee has uncovered serious criminal, political, and disciplinary liabilities linked to Cyprus’s failure to address the dangers posed by defective Takata airbags between 2013 and 2023. The findings, now forwarded to the Chief of Police and Cabinet Secretariat, point to a decade-long institutional breakdown that allegedly contributed to two deaths, one permanent injury, and possibly more unreported risks.

The inquiry, chaired by former Supreme Court Judge Michalakis Christodoulides, was commissioned to examine the import and recall process of vehicles from the EU and third countries. Its report concluded that from 2013 onward, despite continuous warnings, the Road Transport Department (TOM) failed to act on mounting evidence regarding the risks of Takata airbags, which were at the center of a global recall affecting millions of cars.

The committee’s most damning finding involves the possible commission of serious criminal offenses, including manslaughter, causing death through recklessness, and gross bodily harm. These relate directly to the deaths of 24-year-old Konstantinos Oxynos (2023) and 19-year-old Styliani Giorgalli (2024), and the severe injury of 19-year-old Andreas Lougos (2017)—all from explosive Takata airbag deployments.

The report specifically names former TOM directors Sotiris Kolettas and Yiannis Nikolaidis as potentially criminally liable, alongside possible complicity from then Transport Minister Marios Demetriades and former Permanent Secretary Alekos Michailidis. The potential offense of abuse of power (under Article 105 of the Penal Code) is also being examined, particularly in relation to a 2017 circular that removed car dealers' responsibility to recall "grey" market vehicles.

The Attorney General's Office has sent the full report to the Chief of Police to investigate all possible criminal offenses against any individual, a significant escalation in the case.

The committee lays "heavy political responsibility" on all Ministers of Transport during the decade in question, specifically the Nicos Anastasiades-DISY administration—Marios Demetriades, Vassiliki Anastasiadou, and Yiannis Karousos—criticizing their inaction, negligence, and indifference in the face of clear safety warnings. Despite numerous alerts from the Consumer Protection Service (including 73 formal notices from 2013 to 2025) and citizen letters detailing the global Takata crisis, the Ministry and TOM failed to act decisively.

The report strongly condemns the failure to even inform the public about the risks or establish any preventive mechanisms. It also highlights a broader cultural problem of blame-shifting and non-accountability, warning that refusal by senior officials to take responsibility risks entrenching political lawlessness.

Beyond criminal and political failings, the committee recommends disciplinary review for multiple public servants who exhibited "inertia, indifference, or negligence" in responding to a known public safety threat. These include directors and civil servants at the Road Transport Department (TOM), the Electromechanical Services Department (ΗΜΥ), and the Ministry’s leadership.

Among those named for possible disciplinary violations are five former Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Transport. The report argues that their lack of oversight and coordination contributed to a “distorted and dangerous” institutional mindset—where state duties were outsourced to private vehicle importers, and state departments reduced to mere information passers.

The inquiry also criticized the Road Safety Council for being ineffective and data-driven without offering strategic direction, despite the presence of both Police and Electromechanical Services representatives.

Perhaps the most damning indictment is that none of the ministers or senior officials acknowledged or accepted responsibility, often citing ignorance as a defense. The committee dismisses such claims, emphasizing that political accountability is objective and doesn’t require personal involvement to be valid.

The committee concluded that the state abdicated its duty to ensure road safety, allowed a toxic culture of denial and disconnection, and failed to act on clear, repeated, and urgent warnings. These failures, it said, directly led to loss of life and lifelong injuries, and reflect a broader failure of governance and public service ethics.

Current Minister Alexis Vafeadis was excluded from the frame of responsibility. It remains to be seen whether the Attorney General will decide to bring criminal charges in this case in order to uncover the truth and assign accountability.