Marios Matsakis

Marios Matsakis (born 2 August 1954) is a Cypriot politician and former Member of the European Parliament for the Democratic Party, and sat with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group. Although a medical doctor by profession, he became involved in politics in the mid-1990s and has sparked controversy on several occasions. Marios Matsakis announced on 29 December 2007 that he would run for president in the 2008 Cypriot presidential elections. He gained 0.77% coming fourth behind the three main candidates.

Matsakis was born in Limassol. He graduated from the University of London in 1976 with a BSc in microbiology and was awarded a PhD in biochemistry in 1981. He was awarded his medical degree from the University of Cambridge in 1984 and specialised in forensic medicine at the University of Glasgow where he was awarded an MPhil in 1992. He then moved to Greece where he continued his studies in forensic pathology. He returned to Cyprus in 1994. At first he assumed a position in the medical field but he soon became interested in politics and was elected as an MP in 1996.

On 30 October 2005, Cyprus Mail, a leading newspaper, reported that Matsiakis' home in Pyrga had been raided twice during the week by police and CID officials. Matsakis will be accused of smuggling antiquities. The newspaper described the raid with the words (quote) Enough chests, amphoras and other artefacts for three antique stores were yesterday hauled away from the Pyrga home of MEP Marios Matsakis by police, in the second such raid in a week. (unquote). The first raid took place on 23 October 2005. Matsiakis can be prosecuted under Cypriot law, as the European Parliament lifted his immunity earlier in the month.

Matsakis will also be charged with attempts to blackmail a Drug Squard officer in an unrelated case. Police officials found more than 110 chests and hundreds of Grecian urns on his property.

At all times Matsakis was claiming to be innocent. He also said that "It looks like some people do not want my voice to be heard in Cyprus or Europe".

Inquiry of Allegations

Cyprus mail reported on 22 August 2007 that all cases against Dr. Matsakis collapsed and the name of maverick MEP Marios Matsakis has finally been cleared. The MEP called for an independent inquiry to examine possible Police irregularities and to identify suspected political motives for the initiation of the whole affair which started only 3 days after Dr. Matsakis was elected as a Member of the European Parliament representing Cyprus.

Vindication

After two years, MEP Marios Matsakis emerged vindicated this week after the authorities returned 250 items that were confiscated from his home. The Attorney General of Cyprus after studying the case decided that no charge could be brought against Dr. Matsakis and all items seized from his home 2 years ago were returned to him.

In 2008, while still a member of the European Parliament, Marios Matsakis asked not to be sent "offensive" emails. The "offensive" emails he was referring to was an invitation for an exhibition at the European Parliament for LGBT families. The email the MEP was offended by, had a picture depicting a mixed race family, alluring to his views. The MEP later complained to the president of the Europeans Parliament about posters being attached to the area around his office on the same exhibition. Gay activists in Cyprus pointed the "hypocrisy" of Mr. Matsakis with his stance against "non-normal" families when his family situation included a child out of wedlock.

In 2012 the ex-MEP further attacked the LGBT citizens of Cyprus while participating at the talk show "Tolmo" of TV station Sigma. Mr. Matsakis claimed that "homosexuality is not normal", while asserting there is no homophobia in Cyprus, despite the fact that several studies from the European Union, NGOs and other organisations termed Cyprus as one of the most homophobic nations on the European continent.