The whole spectrum of issues pertaining to the Ministry of Justice and Public order which are of interest to the business community were on the agenda of a recent meeting between the Minister Ionas Nicolaou and the Board of the Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).
Welcoming Mr. Nicolaou to the premises of the Chamber, LCCI President Costas Galatariotis outlined the issues of concern to the Limassol business people, which include delays in the delivery of justice, the upcoming Court for the Resolution of Commercial Disputes, as well as the problems arising from inadequate policing that often times result in industrial or other business premises being targeted by burglars.
Addressing the Chamber board the Minister outlined the initiatives that are in progress which aim at a structural reorganization of the justice system in Cyprus and expressed confidence that once this is concluded, in the near future, everybody will observe a noticeable with regard to the time required for justice to be delivered.
With regard to the Commercial Court, Mr. Nicolaou said its establishment has already been decided. It will deal with sizeable commercial disputes involving amounts of over €2 million, and it will be based in Limassol. He clarified that this will no way substitute the intention of additionally setting up another tribunal, to deal with commercial disputes involving lesser amounts, which are after all the cases that concern most SMEs.
As for policing the Minister agreed that the police department is understaffed, but this problem is expected to be addressed to a satisfactory extent in the wake of the recent recruitment of an additional number of police officers. He also highlighted the Neighbourhood Observer Programme, which is supplementary to police work and could be expanded to include the industrial estates.
