The Cypriot people demand scrutiny and accountability over the huge “golden passports” scandal
Statement by Christos Christofides, AKEL Political Bureau member, on Anastasiades’ statements to Politis about the passport scandal and interwoven interests
AKEL C.C. Preiss Office, 10th January 2021, Nicosia
Mr. Anastasiades continues today too in an interview propagating the theory about his “innocent and clean” government. We wonder if the government ruling forces really believe that they are “innocent and clean”, because no one else believes them. Unfortunately, yet again the President of the Republic, who should have been the custodian of the functioning of both the institution he himself represents, as well as of institutions and transparency in general, still doesn’t appear to realise what his own interwoven interests and conflict of interest and that of his government actually represents.
The reality is that on the big “golden passport” scandal there is a quite clear case of interwoven interests. The Council of Ministers examined and approved applications which were submitted by some of the Ministers through their law firms, MP’s and leading officials of ruling DISY party and indeed of the law firm of the President himself. We wonder how there will be a catharsis around the passport scandal when there is no admission of the problematic handling that has been made on the issue. Mr. Anastasiades also claims that there are no interwoven interests stemming from the fact that he used the Saudi tycoon jet for his holidays, to whose family a large number of passports were subsequently granted.
The truth is that Mr. Anastasiades and his government are fully exposed in the eyes of the Cypriot people. The Cypriot people demand scrutiny and accountability over the huge “golden passports” scandal in which the Anastasiades-DISY government have led the way.
