Conviction Upheld for Secret Recording of Two-Hour Meeting

The Court of Appeal upheld a conviction for interception of private communication, in a case where a man secretly recorded a two-hour meeting. The case concerned the recording of a meeting on March 21, 2016, at the offices of a Cypriot Organization, attended by members of the board of directors, while the defendant participated by telephone.

The meeting was intended to allow the defendant to respond to financial issues arising from an internal audit. The discussion lasted almost two hours, without the other participants knowing it was being recorded.

The defendant was dismissed in June 2016 and later filed a lawsuit against the Organization in a foreign court. The existence of the recording was revealed when it was submitted in court proceedings by the defendant. The court ruled that the recording constituted a violation of the Protection of Privacy of Private Communication Law 92(I)/1996.

The Court of Appeal rejected the appeal, stressing that the concept of private communication is not limited to matters of personal life, but covers any conversation conducted in confidence. The court also emphasized the constitutional dimension of the privacy of communication, which is protected by the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus.