Tensions between institutions, specifically the public disputes between the Auditor General, Odysseas Michaelides, and the heads of the Attorney General’s Office, George Savvides and Savvas Angelides, will be discussed in the Parliament.
This conflict, along with other issues that have arisen recently concerning the overall functioning of state institutions, will be examined by the Parliamentary Committee on Institutions, following an initiative by Demetris Demetriou and Irene Charalambidou.
The president and the member of the committee jointly proposed a topic titled “The smooth functioning of the institutions of the Republic of Cyprus.”
According to information from Phileleftheros, the intended result of introducing this topic is to address problems with the operation of the institutions, with the ultimate goal of finding solutions.
Conflicts among state officials have created insecurity in Cypriot society.
A recent episode in this ongoing saga involved the clash between the Auditor General and the heads of the Attorney General’s Office on December 29 when the Anti-Corruption Authority released its findings regarding allegations against Savvas Angelides.
The clash was reignited when, after the publication of the Authority’s report, the Audit Service issued a statement, citing a conflict of interest involving the Deputy Attorney General.
Official statements followed from Savvides and Angelides, accusing Odysseas Michaelides of exceeding his constitutional powers and illegally intervening in the case.
The aforementioned is one of the three issues that, as revealed in the recent session of the parliamentary Committee on Institutions, will be discussed soon.
Two other issues, raised by independent MP Alexandra Attalidou, will also be examined.
These concern the allegations by the OCCRP investigative journalists consortium regarding the Cap St. George development in the “Thalassines Spilies” area in Paphos and the possibility of inadequate control by competent authorities in the Republic of Cyprus to prevent and combat money laundering.
Another issue involves the complaints made by the head of the police department of the Isotita (Equality) union, Nikos Loizides, against the Independent Authority for the Investigation of Complaints and Allegations against the Police (IAICAP).
Loizides, in November last year, during a discussion in the parliamentary Committee on Institutions, had claimed that an officer who worked against organized crime in 2019 is now accused of disciplinary offenses because the son of a member of the Independent Authority Against Corruption has been arrested for organized crime.
The parliamentary committee’s agenda also included a proposal to amend legislation (Law 49) regarding the declaration of assets by state officials (President, ministers, and MPs).
The discussion revolved around a proposal made by MP George Loucaides concerning the manner of submitting the “Source of Wealth” declaration.
The AKEL MP suggested that officials covered by the relevant legislation should submit precise declarations of their assets through an approved accountant instead of personally submitting their declarations.
In essence, this proposal, which seemed to be positively viewed, ensures that a state official will submit an accurate declaration of their financial position through an approved accountant.
Based on the discussions, the matter is expected to be clarified in the next meeting of political leaders, where various issues will be discussed and clarified.
