The Audit Service has already released its report on what it considers to have happened or not happened regarding the awarding of the LNG terminal tender, as well as what followed with the inadequate -at the very least- monitoring of the consortium’s compliance with its contractual obligations.
The Parliamentary Committee on Oversight continued the discussion last Thursday about the Auditor General’s observations, and this process seems likely to drag on.
Usually, interest gradually wanes, and at some point, the discussion stops, and nothing comes of it.
Should we expect someone in the Legal Service to evaluate the Auditor General’s report, perhaps considering criminal charges, given the developments in this case and the visible risk of paying for two FSRU ships and getting -if we get any- just one?
We shouldn’t hold our breath.
But what is the role of the current government in this debacle?
Yes, it is not responsible for what happened in 2019 and afterward, which led to the massive failure of the state. A failure that cannot be shrugged off even if the project is completed in 2026.
Is the Minister of Energy right to avoid, when approached by the media, commenting on the procedures of 2019 and the four-year period that ended fruitlessly?
Despite knowing full well what happened and what didn’t, despite proposals on the table from foreign companies and Cypriot businessmen to mitigate the damage or delay.
The Minister is right to declare that his priority today is to get out of the impasse. The priority is to finish, deliver, and operate the terminal: to use natural gas in electricity generation.
Mr. Papanastasiou said last Thursday in Parliament that the project will be completed, either by the current contractor or another.
Let’s accept that this is a sign of determination and for reaching an agreement with the CPP, as well as for a final break.
But who will take on the role for the final clarification? From this column, we wrote 15 days ago that the government cannot wait for CPP to take the next step.
And if it doesn’t? If it has reasons not to? Since then, nothing substantial has happened, and whenever we inquire if there has been any communication with the consortium or if there has been any dialogue for cooperation or for a final rupture, the answer is no.
We were told there was a consultation through a third party for a round of discussion, by the end of February, but since then, nothing concrete has materialized.
The Minister of Energy is obliged to resolve the matter, in cooperation with the President of the Republic. However, because we are talking about a state-owned Chinese company with its known peculiarities, many argue that President Christodoulides should stop observing from afar and take the initiative directly with the Chinese government. CPP needs to clarify its position.
And if it doesn’t, its owner needs to. The state, through the Government.
It is time for the current government to be evaluated and judged for its management of the project. They might have done things similarly to their predecessors – despite warnings from the Audit Service and others – but today we are dealing with the current government.
If it doesn’t find a solution, the final account will fall on them. They can only avoid it by acting swiftly and decisively. So that the project is completed, either with this contractor or another. As the Minister said last Thursday. We await the implementation of the announcement.
