Andreas Neocleous

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Andreas Neocleous Evripidi (

House of Representatives of Cyprus
.

Early life

Andreas Neocleous Evripidi was born on 3 July 1939 in Episkopi, Paphos.[1] He earned a law degree from the University of Athens in 1964.[1]

Career

Neocleous began practicing law in 1965, specialising in international investment and international corporate tax law. He was the founder and managing partner of

Andreas Neocleous & Co LLC, which became the largest law firm in Cyprus.[2] He participated in EOKA's fight for the liberation of Cyprus from British rule, during which time he was arrested by British troops and imprisoned from 1956 to 1959.[3] From 1970 to 1976, he served as a Member of Parliament for the United Party. In 1974, he participated in the Cypriot coup d'état and was appointed as agricultural minister.[4][5][6]

Neocleous held some honorary positions during his career such as honorary fellow of the Center for International Legal Studies,[7] honorary consul of Japan in Cyprus,[8][9] and honorary legal adviser to the British High Commissioner in Cyprus.[10]

In 2017, Neocleous' law firm Andreas Neocleous & Co was one of many found guilty of bribing a Cypriot deputy attorney general.[11] Shortly thereafter, the firm changed its name to Elias Neocleous; it remains the largest law firm in Cyprus. Two years later, he purchased the Cyprus Mail, the primary English-language newspaper in Cyprus. The following day, all of the newspaper's articles about his former law firm's criminal activities were removed from the newspaper's website, for which Neocleous received much criticism.[12]

Personal life

Neocleous and his wife, Lia, had two sons named Elias and Panayiotis.[1] Both sons also became lawyers.[1]

Death

On 1 October 2021, at the age of 82, Neocleous died from COVID-19 at New General Hospital in Nicosia.[1][13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Prominent lawyer, Cyprus Mail owner Andreas Neocleous dies". Cyprus Mail. 1 October 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  2. ^ "People and Offices: Andreas Neocleous".
  3. ^ Who's Who. Επίτομο Βιογραφικό Λεξικό, Αθήνα, Μέτρον, Τόμος Β', 2009
  4. ^ "Δήλωσις του Υπουργού Γεωργίας και Φυσικών Πόρων". Γραφείο Τύπου και Πληροφοριών. 19 July 1974. Archived from the original on 2 October 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  5. ^ Σάββα, Χρίστος (25 July 2014). "To πραξικόπημα της 15ης Ιουλίου". www.sigmalive.com. Archived from the original on 21 August 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Δεν είναι καθόλου τυχαία η οικογένεια Νεοκλέους για την κυβέρνηση". 1 June 2017. Archived from the original on 2 October 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Center for International Legal Studies". Archived from the original on 14 April 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
  8. ^ "MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS - Honorary Consular Officers in Cyprus - JAPAN". Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  9. ^ "Embassy of Japan in Greece". Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  10. ^ "Archived copy". ukincyprus.fco.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ^ "REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS V. ANDREAS NEOKLEOUS & CO LLC". Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  12. ^ Orphanides, Stelios. "Founder of disgraced Cypriot law firm buys the Cyprus Mail". OCCRP. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  13. ^ "Έφυγε ο Ανδρέας Νεοκλέους – Τη Δευτέρα η κηδεία". Politis. 1 October 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.