The President has clashed with almost all independent state officials
Statement by AKEL Political Bureau member Aristos Damianou
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 30th May 2020, Nicosia
In the more than seven years that Mr. Anastasiades has been President of the Republic, he has clashed in a way that is institutionally unacceptable with almost all independent state officials. He clashed with the two former Central Bank governors, launching strong verbal attacks and issuing threats, with the Attorney General of the Republic as well, the legal adviser, forcing him to say “shame on you”. It was then that Mr. Anastasiades defended the Deputy Attorney General Mr. Erotokritou as a witness in the Courts, at a time when the Republic was prosecuting Mr. Erotokritou for very serious offenses. Unfortunately, the President is also doing the same with the Auditor General.
Things are quite clear. The Anastasiades-DISY government has a problem with scrutiny, transparency and public accountability. For days now, we have been calling on Mr. Anastasiades to give an answer about his trips to the Seychelles, the “golden passports” scheme and private jets. We haven’t had any reply. They preach transparency and “modernization”, but choose and impose blackouts and non-transparency.
Undoubtedly, the President’s clash with the Auditor General is only causing damage, both to institutions as well as to how people view the State, especially since he facilitates the defamation of public life and disappoints -justifiably- citizens. In our view, the powers of the Auditor General are set out by the Constitution. Article 116 enables scrutiny over state expenditures and the management of state resources, with the aim of preventing the embezzlement of public money. The government must respect the institutional independence of the Audit Office, as well as the Legal Service of the Republic. It is an institutional independence that is damaged when people who do not have a good reputation are appointed to these positions.
At the same time, the Auditor General should not be directly or indirectly involved in political decisions, sometimes exceeding his powers and thus prompting or providing the excuse to dispute his institutional impartiality. For sure, the government ruling forces are the last ones who are entitled to deliver lessons about the need to respect institutions. During their administration, good governance is under daily attack, while the conflict of interest and interwoven interests – unfortunately –even relate to the President himself.
