3 C.L.R. 1988 August 29 - - ι . i [SAWIDES.J.l INTHEMATTER OFARTICLE 146OFTHECONSTITUTION ANDREAS PHIVOU GREGORIOU AND.OTHERS, Applicants, v. THE REPUBLICOFCYPRUS,THROUGH 1.THEMINISTER OF INTERIOR, 2. THEMINISTER OF FINANCE, Respondents. (CaseNos. 272/87 - 257/57;. Legitimate interest—Acceptance of an act or decision without protest— Deprivesacceptorof its legitimateinterest tochallengesuch act ordecision. Timewithinwhichtofile arecourse. Theapplicants were casual prison wardens. They were offered perma nentappointmenttotheFireService onsalary scale A3.They acceptedsuch appointment.Twoanda half years later they complainedabouttheir salary scale.Thedismissal of theircomplaintsledtothefiling of these recourses. Thecourtdismissed thembothon theground thattheapplicants lack legiti mate interest, as they had accepted without protest the terms of their said appointmentandon theground thattherecourses were filed outof time. Recoursesdismissed. No orderas to costs. • I Casesreferredto: Neocleous and Others v. TheRepublic
(1980)3C.L.R.497; 1633 Gregoriou & Othersv. Republic
(1988)Tomboliv. CYTA
(1980)3C.L.R.266;andonappeal
(1982)3C.L.R. 149; Georghiades v.The Republic
(1981)3C.L.R.431; Aniliades v.CYTA
(1981)3C.L.R. 21; HadjiconstantinouandOthersv. TheRepublic
(1984)3C.L.R.319; 5 Myrianthisv. TheRepublic
(1977)3C.L.R. 165; lonidesv. TheRepublic
(1979)3C.L.R.679; Christofides v. CY.TA.
(1979)3OLA.99; loannou'andOthers v.TheRepublic
(1983)3C.L.R.
- 10 Recourses. Recourses against the refusal of therespondents toemplace applicants onSalary ScaleA. 5incrementalpoint
- P.Solomonides, fortheapplicants. Λ.Vassiliades, fortherespondents. Cur. adv.vult. 15 SAVVTDES J.read thefollowingjudgment. Bytheabovere courses which were heardtogether as presenting commonques tionsoflaw andfact theapplicantsprayforthefollowingrelief: a)AdeclarationoftheCourtthatthedecision and/orrefusal of therespondents dated 22nd January, 1987 toemplace theappli- 20 cantsonsalary scale A5,incrementalpoint7,isnullandvoidand of nolegal effect. b)Adeclarationthattheapplicantsareentitledtobeemplaced 1634 1 3C.L.R. Gregoriou &Others v.Republic SavvidesJ. onscaleA5,incrementalpoint7,andthepaymentofanyamount inaccordancewithtrieaforesaid scaleasfrom27thJune,
- 5 Alltheapplicantspriortothe30thDecember, 1982wereemployedascasualprisonwardens.On30thDecember, 1982ona submission madetoitbytheMinisterofJustice,theCouncilof Ministersdecidedthat44ofthecasualprison wardenswhobecame supernumerous should be absolved gradually to posts whichwouldbecomevacanteitherintheDepartmentofPrisons orthePoliceForce. ' ' * I 10 AsaresultofthesimultaneousoperationoftheairportsofLarnacaandPaphostheappointmentoftenConstablesbecamenecessaryanditwasdecidedwiththeapprovaloftheMinistryofFinancethattenadditionalConstablesbeappointed.Asaresultof suchdecision34casualPrisonWardensappliedforappointment j5 tothesaidpostswhichwereinfactpostsinthePoliceForce. Out of thetenpersonsselected for suchappointment weretheseven applicants whowere appointed in the Fire Service on the 27th June, 1984,on thebasis of Regulation 7of thePolice General Regulationsastemporaryofficers andwereemplacedonscaleA3 20 withbasicsalary£1,
- On 2ndSeptember, 1986,theapplicantsinformed byletterthe Chief ofPolicethattheyintended toappointanadvocatetoinquired intothematterof their salary scalesbecause, astheyalleged,they werepreviously beingpaid higheremoluments.The 25 Chiefof Policebyletterdated 19thSeptember, 1986,broughtto thenoticeoftheDirectorofPublicAdministrationandPersonnel Servicetheapplicants'claim,whobyletterdated 10thOctober, 1986,repliedthattheapplicantswererightlyplacedonscaleA3 onthedayoftheirappointmenttothepostofPoliceConstable. 30 Heconcludedhisletterasfollows: "In accordance with thepolicy which is followed on this subject casual employees who areappointed to apost other thantheonetowhich'theywereserving.onacasualbasisand with duties which areriotthe sameasthepreviousonesare 1635 SavvidesJ. Gregoriou & Othersv.Republic
(1988)emplaced on thestarting pointof thescale of theirnew post. This policy is of general application andadifferent modeof salary emplacementcouldnotbeusedinthecaseof thesePo liceConstables." The Chief of Police by letterdated 3rd November, 1986, in- 5 formed theHeadof tinFireService aboutthepositionof the ap plicantswithinstructicis tobringthisfact tothenoticeoftheper sonsconcerned.Theapplicantsreverted onthematterby letterof theiradvocatedated 19thDecember, 1986,addressed totheMin isterofFinanceraising onceagaintheirclaimforemplacementon 10 scale A5, incrementalpoint7, andfor thepayment tothemof theirsalaries onsuchbasisasfromthe dateof theirappointment. A reply totheabove letter was givenby letterdated22ndJanu ary, 1987,from theMinistry ofFinancesigned by the Directorof Public Administration and Personnel Service, the contents of 15 whichreadas follows: "Ihavebeeninstructedtorefer toyourletterdated 19th De cember, 1986, tothe Minister of Financeinconnectionwith thesubject of thesalary of anumberof yourclientsandto in form you thattheircasehasinthepastbeenconsideredby the 20 Chief of Policeafter its submission toourMinistry. Copyof ourrelevantletter,file No.6019/68/F/IIanddated 10thOcto ber, 1986 is attachedherewith. Ourposition continuestobe thesameasexplained inouraforesaid letter. 2. TheMinisterof Financeregrets hecannothelpin their 25 case." As aresult applicantsfiled onthe9thApril, 1987,the present recourses. By his opposition counselfor the respondentsraised the preHminary objection thatthepresentrecourses cannotproceed as theywerefiledoutof time..When the casecameupfor hearingit was agreed thattheobjection raised shouldbeheardasaprelimi- _ nary pointof law. As a result directions weregiven for written 1636 Λ ™ 3C.L.R. , Gregoriou &Othersv.Republic SavvidesJ. addressestobefiledbythepartiesonthequestionraised. 5 .Counselforrespondentsbyhiswritten addresssubmittedthat thedecision whichis beingchallenged by the,applicants dated 22ndJanuary, 1987,ismerelyconfirmatory of apreviousdecisiondated27thJune, 1984,wherebytheapplicantswereappointedtotheirpresentpost.Furthermorehesubmittedthatacceptance bytheapplicantsoftheirappointmenttotheaforesaid postunreservedly,hasdeprivedthemofanylegitimateinteresttochallenge thesubjudicedecision. 10- Counselfor theapplicants,ontheotherhand,contended that theapplicantswereservingasPrisonWardensattheCentralPrisons since 1979(withtheexception of applicants incasesNos. 277 and278/87 whowere so serving since 1981),on scale A5 andtheyweretemporarilytransferred and/orsecondedtotheFire 15 Servicetooffer their servicestemporarily astheyweretold.As this temporary secondment wasextended for a long time^they protested byletterdated 19thDecember, 1986,towhichtheyreceived on 26th January, 1987, the reply dated 22nd January, 1987, containing the subjudice,decision. He submitted further 20 that the recourses were not out of time as the period which elapsedfrom thedateoftheirappointmenttillthedatetheyhave submitted their protest andreceived thereply on 26th January, 1987,cannotbetreatedasadelayonthepartoftheapplicantsas they,relyingonapromisegiventothemthat theywillbetrans25 ferred backtotheirpreviouspostswereexpectingthattherespondentswouldsatisfy theirclaim. Fromthematerialbeforemeitseemsthattheapplicants,who werepreviouslycasualemployees,wereoffered apermanentappointment on27thJune, 1984,after theyhad submitted applica30 tionsandwereselectedforsuchpurposeintheFireServiceofthe PoliceForce.When accepting such appointmentfromacasual posttoapermanent.posttheapplicantsdidnotmakeanyreserva.tionorraiseanyprotestconcerningtheiremplacementonsalary scaleA3andinfact theycontinued sotoservetillthe2ndSep35 tember, 1986,whenforthefirsttimetheyraisedaclaimforem1637 SavvidesJ. Gregoriou & Others v.Republic
(1988)placementonsalaryscaleA5. In hasbeen held timeandagainbythisCourtthatifaperson acceptsanadministrativeactordecisionwithoutanyprotestheno longer possesses alegitimateinterest entitling him tofile arecourseagainstitinthesenseofArticle 146.2oftheConstitution. 5 Relevantinthisrespectare,interalia,thecasesofNeocleousand Others v. The Republic
(1980)3 C.L.R. 497; Tomboli v. CY.TA
(1980)3 C.L.R. 266and on appeal
(1982)3C.L.R. 149;Georghiades v.TheRepublic
(1981)3C.L.R.431;Aniliadesv.CY.TA.
(1981)3C.L.R.21andtheFullBench decision 10 inHadjiconstantinou& Othersv. TheRepublic
(1984)3 C.L.R. 319. Thefollowing passagefromthejudgmentof Triantafyllides, P.,in thecaseofMyrianthisv.TheRepublic
(1977)3C.L.R. 15 165at p. 168has been adopted in a numberof cases including Tomboliv.CY.TA. (supra)bothbythefirst instanceJudgeand bytheFullBenchonappeal: "Itiswellestablished,bynow,intheadministrativelawof Cyprus,on the basisof relevant principles which have been 20 expoundedinGreeceinrelationtoalegislativeprovisionthere (section48ofLaw3713/1928)whichcorrespondstoourArticle 146.2above,thata person, who,expressly orimpliedly, accepts anactordecision oftheadministration, isdeprived, because of such acceptance,of alegitimateinterest entitling 25 himtomakeanadministrativerecourse fortheannulmentof suchactordecision." Astotheacceptanceofanadministrativeactordecisionwith reservation of rights it was held In Ionides v. TheRepublic
(1979)3C.L.R.679,that suchacceptancedoesnotdeprive the 30 acceptor of his legitimate interest. (See, also, in this respect Christofidesv. CY.TA.
(1979)3C.L.R.99;Ioannou& Others v. TheRepublic
(1983)3.C.L.R.150). Bearing in mind theaboveprinciples andhavingtaken into 1638 3C.L.R. Gregoriou &Othersv.Republic SavvidesJ. consideration thefact thattheapphcantshadacceptedfreely and unconditionally their appointments in which their salary scales wereexplicitly setout andalthough they hadbeen appointed to their posts a long time before their recourses i.e. on the 27th 5 June,1984,andwerereceivingtheirsalariesregularlytheynever protestedorraisedtheissuetillSeptember, 1986,1havecometo theconclusionthattheyhavenolegitimateinteresttopursuetheir recoursesandevenifsuchlegitimateinterestmighthaveexisted atanytimeithasbeenlostbytheexpirationofmorethan75days 10 from thedatewhentheirfirst salarywaspaidtothem. 15 Astothecontents of the letter dated 22nd January, 1987,1 agreewiththesubmissionofcounselfor therespondentsthatits contents aremerelyofaninformatorycharacterand/orconfirmatoryofthecontentsofapreviousletterdated 10thOctober,1986, which was brought to the notice of the applicants through the Headoftheirdepartment. Intheresulttheserecoursesfail andareherebydismissedbut inthecircumstancesImakenoorderforcosts. \ "' 20 Recoursedismissed. .No orderastocosts. , 1639