Cypriot Policeman Promoted Due to Clarinet Skills

An independent anti-corruption agency in the Republic of Cyprus has received a complaint regarding a police officer. The complaint alleges that the officer's promotion was influenced by his talent for playing the clarinet.

According to the complaint published by the newspaper Phileleftheros, the officer was promoted to the rank of sergeant because his certified musical skills, including playing the clarinet, harmonium, and other wind instruments, were considered as additional qualifications.

The complaint asserts that for each certificate verifying his musical skills, the officer received two points, similar to academic degrees.

The Cyprus Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education (Dipae) has stated that it does not recognize music proficiency certificates as equivalent to university diplomas.

As a result, the police scoring system, which determines promotion eligibility, awarded the officer an disproportionately high number of points for his musical qualifications.

This raises concerns that some of the documents related to the officer’s qualifications might be forged.

The complaint was filed with the independent anti-corruption agency on August 12 and is currently under review. A preliminary investigation is set to begin in September.

Previously, a phone conversation took place between the police chief and Transparency Commissioner Haris Pogiatzis. The police chief expressed his willingness to fully cooperate with the investigation into the complaint.