Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos said that the government has made available all necessary means to the Law Office of the Republic to facilitate and expedite its investigation into an air crash in 2005 that killed all 121 persons on board, most of them Cypriots.
He also indicated that early publication of a report by the one-man Cypriot investigative commission into the cause of the air crash, in Grammatikos in Greece, could jeopardize the inquiry and will not serve anybody’s interest.
“I fully subscribe to what I have said in public. The government made sure that the report by the Greek commission of inquiry was made public at a record time, compared to similar air crashes,†Papadopoulos said, replying to questions on departure for Brussels to attend the European Council meeting.
The Police, he added, continue their inquiries in earnest with a view to prepare a file for consideration by the Attorney General who will decide whether anybody will be brought before the courts.
“I do not think there is anybody who wishes to expedite this investigation and jeopardize the validity and integrity of cases that may be brought to justice,†the President stressed.
He said the material police investigators have to go through is massive and the government has made available all necessary funds and personnel requested by the Law Office for this purpose.
“There is no other procedure to go about this investigation. I fully understand the pain and the suffering of the relatives of the victims,†he concluded.
His comments come as relatives of the victims protested strongly against what they called “inactionâ€, demanding the report of the Cyprus investigative commission, which has not been made public.
On 14 August 2005, an HELIOS Boeing flying to Prague, via Athens, with 121 persons on board, crashed into the mountain side north of Athens, killing all passengers and crew on board.
Helios air tragedy relatives argue that by not giving them the finding of the report, they will not be able to sue Boeing for negligence and with the 2-year period from the date of the accident fast approaching, they fear that the government is keen to cover-up the case and not help relatives submit claims against Boeing and the Cypriot owners of the airline.
