Constitutional challenge raised over suspension of Tourism Ministry Director General

The Public Service Commission is currently reviewing a request to suspend Neophytos Papadopoulos, the Director General of the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, following an investigation initiated by Deputy Minister Kostas Koumis. Papadopoulos has been granted until Thursday to submit his response to the three-month suspension proposal. Lawyer Chris Triantafyllides has announced plans to challenge the suspension on constitutional grounds, arguing that the Deputy Ministries themselves are unconstitutional. Triantafyllides asserts that the Cyprus Constitution provides for only 11 ministries and does not authorize the creation of Deputy Ministries or the appointment of Deputy Ministers. He claims that the Deputy Minister of Tourism lacks the legal authority to recommend a suspension because his own office is based on an unconstitutional structure. Historically, the Legal Service has opted to suspend prosecutions in cases involving Deputy Ministries to avoid judicial rulings on their constitutionality. Triantafyllides intends to use this case to force a definitive court decision on the legality of the current state administrative structure.