Wealth is not proof of integrity
AKEL Spokesperson Stefanos Stefanou on the President of the Republic’s statements to the Financial Times
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 16th May 2020, Nicosia
The statement of the President of the Republic – and indeed in the international media – that “I have done so well when I was a lawyer that I have a lot of savings. I’m not in need to be corrupted”, is put to put it mildly unfortunate and erroneous.
Wealth is not proof of honesty/integrity, nor is corruption inherent in ordinary people, who are offended by the President’s statement.
Integrity needs transparency and substantive control, to which all those in power and handling public money must be the first to be accountable.
The President’s statement is an expression of the government’s overall stance on corruption. The government refuses to acknowledge that there is a problem with corruption and is doing nothing to combat it. It is no coincidence that during the term of the Anastasiades-DISY government, the problem of corruption has gone beyond all dimensions.
What is worse, however, is that the government, with its apathy and inaction, is allowing the country to be humiliated internationally as a country where money laundering is taking place and corruption is practiced.
So great is the magnitude of the government’s apathy and inaction that it hasn’t even done the most basic things, as revealed by the European Commission’s very recent accusations that Cyprus has not fulfilled its obligations stemming from European directives with regards the combatting of the legalisation of revenues from illegal activities.
