The granting of civil servant status to four personal assistants of President Nicos Anastasiades was unlawful and the Auditor-General pointed the finger at the high ranking official to bear legal responsibility.
Specifically, the Auditor-General told parliament on Thursday that Secretary to the Council of Ministers Theodosis Tsiolas was the one to justify the illegal appointments in a letter dated March 27, 2018.
to the director of the Department of Administration and personnel, in which he states:
“I judge that there is no objective reason that prevents the individuals under reference (the four) from turning into employees of indefinite time from 1/3/2018,” Tsiolas wrote in the letter.
House Watchdog Committee MPs also heard that the four assistants in question now get €3,000 a month.
And that anyone else been hired for secretarial services in the public sector, it would have taken him/her 25 years to get up to a salary of €3,000.
The session was marked by a personal attack by ruling Disy MP Savia Orfanidou against Auditor General Odysseas Michaelides whom she also called immoral.
And this prompted the reaction of MPs who indicated that it is unacceptable to call an independent official as unethical because he competently informed parliament.
Orphanidou responded saying se had described as immoral the Auditor General’s action to refer to the fact that one of the women is a very close relative of the President.
