Cypriot head of competition watchdog goes
NICOSIA (Reuters) – Cyprus’s Competition Commission Chairman George Christofidis, at the center of controversy among his staff over office surveillance practices, resigned yesterday, the island’s government said. Christofidis was under investigation by police for several weeks for alleged violation of the privacy of competition commission staff. Staff at the authority went on strike at the beginning of July to protest against Christofidis’s alleged «big brother» tactics which involved the use of closed-circuit cameras at the commission’s premises. The dispute had threatened to paralyze the agency, which is responsible for vetting all mergers and acquisitions in Cyprus. Christofidis had said there was nothing untoward about the system, which is also used at most government offices.
