If the government has nothing to hide, then why is it trying to block and silence the Auditor General’s investigation?
Statement by Neoklis Sylikiotis, AKEL Political Bureau member
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 19th September 2020, Nicosia
The “golden passports” scandal set up by the Anastasiades government is taking on new dimensions. The government not only organized this market for the sale of Cypriot citizenship, weakening the criteria and procedures. Not only was the government ignoring for years the warnings issued by international organizations and European institutions. Not only does it not give an answer about the 350 naturalization applications submitted by law firms that are connected with President Anastasiades and members of the Council of Ministers. Now, the Anastasiades government wants to distract the people by targeting Parliament and at the same time, obscure the investigations underway into the scandal.
The government ruling forces obstructed in an authoritarian way the Audit Office’s access to the files related to naturalisations. Now, in a confidential letter, the Minister of Interior is demanding from the Auditor General not to disclose his report on the five naturalization files he was able to investigate. The question is very simple: If the government has nothing to hide, then why is it trying to obstruct and silence the Auditor General’s investigation?
The Anastasiades government has set up a passport sales industry that continues to shame Cyprus internationally and with all of Europe pointing the finger at Cyprus. The problem will not be solved neither by covering up, nor obscuring the issue. Only through transparency and the will to decisively stamp out corruption will our country’s name be cleaned.
