An investigation committee delivered its report on defective Takata airbags to Attorney General Giorgos Savvides on Friday, identifying criminal, disciplinary and political responsibilities in one of the most discussed findings in recent years.
The investigation committee examined the disposal of vehicles from the EU, importation of vehicles from third countries to the Cypriot market and recall of these vehicles, covering the period from 2004 to 2025.
Attorney General Savvides said the committee’s terms of reference were expanded to cover the extended timeframe. “Our intention is to make the report public with the minimum possible redactions, limited exclusively to personal data. We will need to examine whether changes or anonymisation are required in areas where disclosure of names might cause damage,” he noted.
Investigation committee chairman Michalis Christodoulou thanked the Attorney General and all those who testified before the committee, stating that sessions were public and conducted without problems.
The report comprises an introduction and nine chapters, with the introduction referencing the international framework around recalls and its connection to Cyprus. “The phenomenon began in 2010 in the United States, where hundreds of thousands of recalls were conducted, and subsequently expanded globally, with the number of recalls exceeding 100 million,” Christodoulou said.
The committee received evidence covering the critical period from 2013 to 2023 for Cyprus. “In 2013, the first warning was sent to the Road Transport Department about an accident in Portugal involving Takata. This was followed by 73 other warnings and two additional citizen warnings,” he said.
The second chapter examines accidents, including police reports and electromechanical service reports on causes, omissions in forwarding these reports to the Road Transport Department for action, and failures to inform the minister and road safety council. “All these omissions led the issue away from publicity. As a result, everyone without exception claimed they first heard about Takata after 2023,” Christodoulou noted.
Chapter three addresses national and EU law, highlighting how mass imports of grey vehicles could occur in Cyprus with the sole requirement of being less than five years old. “The current director of the Road Transport Department and current transport minister consider the recall problem for grey vehicles difficult to solve. If one examines EU law, they will see the problem is not so difficult to resolve. It could be solved without further legislation but with relevant decrees,” he added.
Chapter four examines the Kodjiapashis report, which investigated whether the 2017 circular change on recalls involved disciplinary offences. Christodoulou said the committee disagreed with Kodjiapashis’s conclusion that no disciplinary issues existed. “Not only were there disciplinary issues, but there was possibly also the criminal offence of abuse of power by public officials,” he stated.
The committee identified failures across multiple agencies, including the Road Transport Department, police, road safety council and electromechanical service.
Regarding criminal liability, Christodoulou said the Road Transport Department failed to execute its duty of action when it identified vehicles posed danger. “From 2013 onwards, the Road Transport Department received continuous warnings and letters in 2015 and 2016 but did nothing substantial to reduce the risk. It did not exercise the duty of action imposed by law by warning the public about dangers and taking preventive measures to eliminate risk.”
The committee chairman confirmed the investigation identified potential criminal offences, including abuse of power, manslaughter, causing death through reckless or careless acts, and serious injury.
The report attributes disciplinary responsibilities to five current officials and criminal responsibilities to three individuals. Political responsibilities are identified but not attributed to the new minister.
Background context
Takata airbags contained defective inflators that could rupture with excessive force, projecting metal fragments into vehicle cabins and causing serious injuries or death. The crisis began in 2010 in the United States and expanded globally, ultimately affecting over 100 million vehicles worldwide in what became one of the largest automotive recalls in history.
Cyprus faced particular challenges due to its substantial “grey” vehicle market – used cars imported from other countries with minimal oversight requirements. Under Cyprus law, these vehicles needed only to be less than five years old for import, creating a regulatory gap where hundreds of thousands of potentially dangerous vehicles entered the market without proper recall mechanisms to notify owners of safety defects.
The investigation focused on three serious incidents, two fatal, involving Takata airbag explosions in vehicles circulating in Cyprus. Particular emphasis was placed on the Road Transport Department circular dated 21 March 2017, which the committee found left an information and responsibility gap by relieving importers of obligation to inform about “grey” vehicle recalls.
Through dozens of testimonies, multi-year institutional dysfunctions, coordination deficits between services and lack of political superior notification were revealed, resulting in dangerous vehicles remaining on Cypriot roads for years without owner notification.
If criminal offences are confirmed by the Attorney General, the file will be forwarded to police for appropriate action. Where disciplinary offences are identified, relevant administrative authorities will be notified for sanctions or corrective measures.
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