Interior Minister clarifies legal status of crowdfunding appeals

Cyprus Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou recently confirmed that crowdfunding appeals initiated by investigative journalist Makarios Drousiotis and President Nikos Christodoulides do not violate the 2014 Law on Public Collections. Ioannou, responding to a written inquiry from AKEL MP Konstantinos Konstantinou, stated that these fundraising activities do not constitute a 'collection' as defined by the existing legislation.

The investigation centered on two distinct cases: the campaign by Makarios Drousiotis to fund his legal defense against charges in the 'Sandy' case, and the fundraising efforts conducted by Nikos Christodoulides during his 2023 presidential election campaign. According to the Minister, the 2014 law specifically regulates collections for charitable, benevolent, religious, environmental, or animal welfare purposes. Because these appeals did not meet the statutory criteria for these categories, they were deemed outside the scope of the law, resulting in no police referral.

The clarification establishes a clear legal distinction between private crowdfunding campaigns and regulated public solicitations. Ioannou emphasized that the legal status of an appeal depends entirely on its purpose. No further investigations or legal actions are currently planned regarding these specific cases, as the ministry considers the matter closed under current statutory interpretations.