The House Finance Committee on Monday refused for a second time to release funds for a system that would allow traffic camera fines to be served on Turkish Cypriots as they cross the crossing points.
The Finance Ministry had asked parliament members to approve 146,640 euros plus VAT for the technical rollout of the Photo Radar List, which would identify Turkish Cypriots caught by the cameras while also upgrading the system. Each party turned the request down for different reasons.
More than 16,000 fines issued to Turkish Cypriots by the camera system are still waiting to be served. They cannot be delivered because the checks at the crossing points do not cover people who hold Republic of Cyprus identity cards but live in the occupied north.
Almost all parties oppose extending the measure. Their main objections are that the camera system is designed to raise revenue, that the fines should be served some other way rather than through the list, or that publishing identity card numbers breaches personal data protection.
The Transport Ministry drafted a bill more than a year and a half ago that would allow fines to be served by text message or email, but it has yet to be submitted to parliament.
A representative of the Electrical and Mechanical Services, the project’s contractor, told the committee how the list would work at the crossing points but failed to convince parliament members it was needed.
