Petros Clerides (born 20 February 1946) is the former attorney general of Cyprus. He resigned in 2013, after widespread criticism of his handling of high-profile cases.
Personal life
Petros Clerides was born on 20 February 1946 in Nicosia.
He was educated at the
Pancyprian Gymnasium
The Pancyprian Gymnasium (), is the oldest still operational Lyceum, high school in Cyprus, founded in 1812.
History
In the location of the current school, an older school existed, established in 1753 known as Ellinomouseion ().
The ''Pancypri ...
, and the
University of Athens
The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; , ''Ethnikó kai Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the University of Athens (UoA), is a public university in Athens, Greece, with various campuses alo ...
, where he graduated in 1969 with a bachelor's degree in law.
Career
Clerides was appointed deputy attorney general of Cyprus in 2000,
and attorney general in 2005, resigned in June 2016, effective in September, and was replaced with Supreme Court judge
Costas Clerides.
Clerides had faced calls to resign after reports that he had used his position to have a drink-driving prosecution against his son suspended. His son was over the alcohol limit, and the car did not have a MOT or road tax.
Clerides "openly admitted on television that he had used his ''
'' powers to drop charges against his son related to driving offences."
Clerides was also criticised for his handling of the
2005 Helios air crash and Mari explosion trials, and over comments he made about an attempt to publicly seize a ministerial car for an unpaid government debt.
Personal life
He is married to Danae Michaelidou, and they have two sons, both of whom are lawyers.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clerides, Petros
1946 births
20th-century Cypriot lawyers
Living people
People educated at Pancyprian Gymnasium
People from Nicosia
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens alumni
Attorneys-general of Cyprus
21st-century Cypriot lawyers