Christodoulides: We will not allow Cyprus to be used for illegal activity

We will not allow Cyprus to be used for any illegal activity, President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides has emphasised.

He was speaking while receiving the Annual Report 2022-2023 of the Cyprus Gaming and Casino Supervision Commission at the Presidential Palace on 16 January.

Submitting the report the Chairman of the Commission, Christos Mavrellis, said that their guiding principle is "not to embarrass Cyprus internationally".

President Christodoulides thanked the Commissioners "for starting from scratch and establishing an important body, which is linked to the efforts made to attract investments in this sector". He particularly highlighted that, as a supervisory body, its role is crucial in the effort "we are making to ensure that no shadow is cast over our country", adding that this effort is yielding results. In this context, he said, the infrastructure established by the Commission can serve as a solid foundation for all those who will follow.

He added that the submitted report is not a routine process, but will be reviewed by the Secretariat for Support of government work "to see if there is room for further improvement". He noted that the state, through legislative or other initiatives, further strengthens the role of the Commission as a supervisory body.

"Our country neither desires, nor has the luxury, nor will we allow it to be used for any illegal activity. We have left all of that behind," President Christodoulides stressed, pointing out that during this period, not only political will has been shown, but also "through specific decisions we have made, we see the positive results arising from this clear political will, which is not limited to nice statements and words, but is accompanied by very specific actions."

Commissioner Christos Mavrellis said that this is the first report the Authority is submitting to the President. "We started from scratch and established an organisation that works very well. We worked away from the spotlight, but we achieved results," he noted.

Mavrellis informed that two casinos, from Japan and Dubai, have requested expertise from Cyprus. As he explained, Japan has now decided to open a casino in 2030, and "two people came to Cyprus twice and invited us to send two officials to teach them how to set up this operation. The same is true for Dubai, where meetings are held with us to gain expertise," he said.

He added that this is not an easy sector. "I know that the casino sector also has its dark sides, and we must be very careful, and that is what we are doing. We have always been guided by the principle of not embarrassing Cyprus internationally," he said, noting that the sector is under scrutiny. "Everyone is watching us, especially concerning money laundering, where casinos are often involved," he said, emphasizing that measures have been taken.

(Source: CNA)