On the one hand the government submitted passport applications and then approved them with their family businesses earning tens of millions of euros.
AKEL on the Committee of Inquiry’s interim conclusions
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 4th May 2021, Nicosia
The Committee of Inquiry’s interim conclusion makes it clear that the Reports issued by the Audit Office have made a positive and decisive contribution to the investigation into the ‘golden’ passport industry that constitutes the biggest scandal of scandals. A series of findings of the Committee confirm the Audit Office’s Reports on the passports issued to the business partners of the President of the Republic’s son-in-paw in the Ayia Napa Marina, on the passports granted for the casino, on the interventions made by government Ministers, but also Church hierarchs to satisfy specific requests for applications to be speeded up selectively and on the tens of millions of euros lost from state coffers since purchases of real estate properties had a reduced VAT.
Now, the Anastasiades Government and ruling DISY party are completely exposed for their obsession with obstructing the Audit Office from carrying out its work to look into this scandal.
Of course, no serious and honest person has any doubt as to the real reason why the government ruling forces obstructed the investigations on the ‘golden’ passports scheme. They obstructed investigations because the government is the moral and physical perpetrator of the scandal itself. It is the government that played the role of the overseer and advocate of the ‘golden’ passport scheme. They are the ones who issued 6.500 passports and continue to examine another 1,000 applications. They are the ones who weakened the criteria and scrutiny. And of course they are the ones who are directly involved in the ‘golden’ passport industry with a scandalous and unprecedented conflict of interest. On the hand they submitted passport applications and with the other they approved them, with their family businesses earning tens of millions of euros.
