The Interior Ministry has written to DIKO president Nikolas Papadopoulos asking him to be more specific about allegations he made on social media against three Direct Democracy party candidates, philenews has confirmed.
Papadopoulos had publicly referred to three candidates: one arrested for drug trafficking in the occupied north; one under investigation for obtaining money by false pretences; and one who allegedly deceived hundreds of investors during the stock exchange period and took their money.
The first case relates to Valerie Tarabay, a Direct Democracy candidate standing in the Kyrenia district, who confirmed in exclusive statements to philenews that she spent two years in prisons in the occupied north.
Under Article 64 of the Constitution, any citizen of the Republic aged over 25 and not suffering from mental illness may stand for election, provided they have not been convicted of “an offence involving dishonour or moral turpitude” and have not been deprived of electoral rights by a competent court for an electoral offence.
Responsibility for determining whether a candidate meets the eligibility criteria rests with the Law Office. Should an objection be filed against any candidate, the Law Office will rule on whether the offences in question are classified as dishonourable or of moral turpitude.
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