Prominent lawyer and former Justice Minister Kypros Chrysostomides passed away on Thursday at the age of 80 after a long illness.
Born in Paphos in 1942, Chrysostomides studied Law at the University of Athens and at the Luxembourg Law School. Following, he completed a PhD at the University of Bonn.
He returned to Cyprus in 1973 and set up his own law firm in Nicosia in 1981, which grew to become one of the biggest on the island.
In 1998 he established the movement “Epalxis Anasiggrotisis Kentrou” (Political Grouping for the Restructure of the Centre).
Chrysostomides served as Government Spokesman between 2003-2006 in the Tassos Papadopoulos administration, while in 2006 he was elected as a member of parliament with AKEL, where he served until March 2008, when he was appointed Minister of Justice by Demetris Christofias. He resigned from this post in December 2008, assuming responsibility for the escape of convict Antonis ‘Al Capone’ Kitas from the Central Prison.
He is survived by his wife and two daughters.
