The Attorney General, George Savvides, through a written statement, characterizes the claims made by lawyer Efstathios Efstathiou regarding corruption in the Legal Service of the Republic as “baseless”.
The announcement:
“Unfortunately, we continue to witness a continuing inaccuracy and unacceptable behavior on the part of lawyer Mr. Efstathios Efstathiou, who in recent days, repeatedly makes publicly baseless claims of corruption in the Legal Service of the Republic, sometimes alleging bribery of its officials and sometimes covering up criminal offenses by the heads of the Legal Service, officials of the Legal Service, and/or criminal offenses.
I unequivocally reject, once again, Mr. Efstathiou’s claims.
Throughout my tenure as the Attorney General of the Republic, I have shown immense tolerance not only to constructive criticism, which is an essential element of a modern democracy but also to malicious and slanderous comments. Mr. Efstathiou’s statements and positions regarding ‘cover-up and corruption,’ unfortunately echoed by the media, have, however, exceeded my tolerance threshold.
My responsibility and utmost obligation as the Attorney General, beyond any personal rights as an individual, are to safeguard and protect the highest institution I serve, my colleagues, and the vital Service that I oversee.
I have recently contacted the President of the Cyprus Bar Association, to whom I stated that I will send him all the public statements and positions of Mr. Efstathiou and their reproduction in the media, in order for him to evaluate whether there are grounds for referring Mr. Efstathiou to the Disciplinary Council of Lawyers. It goes without saying that, in the present case, I will abstain from any procedure of the Disciplinary Council of Lawyers.
I reiterate to everyone that we will not allow any attempt to instrumentalize the Legal Service of the Republic or exert pressure on its officials, to serve baseless personal or client-driven designs.”
