Philenews

Supreme Constitutional Court Rejects Panikos Hatzipanagis' Appeal, Confirms Dismissal of RIK Promotion

Published January 23, 2026, 12:23
Supreme Constitutional Court Rejects Panikos Hatzipanagis' Appeal, Confirms Dismissal of RIK Promotion

The Supreme Constitutional Court unanimously rejected Panikos Hatzipanagis' appeal and upheld the original court decision that annulled his promotion to the position of Director of News and Current Affairs at the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (RIK). The case originated in 2016 when the RIK Board of Directors promoted Mr. Hatzipanagis, but the decision was challenged by Yiannis Nikolaou, who was also a candidate and met the criteria with greater seniority and an additional academic qualification. The original court ruled that the RIK Board had improperly exercised its discretion, giving excessive weight to the interview and overlooking Mr. Nikolaou's additional qualifications. The Supreme Constitutional Court agreed with the original decision, emphasizing that better performance in the interview cannot compensate for the substantial superiority of an additional qualification without adequate justification. Consequently, the appeal was dismissed, and damages of €4,000 were awarded to Mr. Nikolaou.