Statement by AKEL-Left-New Forces Parliamentary Representative Yiorgos Loucaides on the Al Jazeera reports
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 25th August 2020, Nicosia
– The Al Jazeera reports follow the Reports and publications of EU institutions and foreign media such as the Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the European People’s Party, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the OECD, the International Transparency, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), Reuters press agency and the French newspaper Le Monde.
– The citizenship-by-investment-scheme was applied during three different governments, but only during the Anastasiades-DISY government has Cyprus repeatedly become the first issue and is being degraded internationally. The current government ruling forces, in a frenzy of greed, turned a positive program for the whole economy into an industry for the sale of citizenships/passports and a luxurious feast for the few.
– The few who benefited include the law firm of Anastasiades and the President of the Republic’s family circle, at the same time as Mr. Anastasiades himself was receiving gifts of hundreds of thousands of Euros for free family trips to the Seychelles from his naturalized Saudi Arabian friend. The entire handling of the program, therefore, leaves the DISY party government grossly exposed.
– The Interior Minister’s reaction yesterday to Al Jazeera’s reports was anything but convincing. The DISY Government must respond on the substance. Is it true or not what has been revealed, for example, that at the essential time persons who were already convicted or sought in their countries were granted citizenships as Cypriots? What criteria and when did they permit such a thing?
– AKEL has already raised for discussion in Parliament the issue of the recent revelations and the government ruling forces will be called upon to provide answers, to take on their responsibilities by clarifying what were the clean and lawful investments and what were the suspicious transactions with swindlers around the world. They will be called upon to provide specific answers that will convince inside and outside Cyprus that yesterday’s practices have ended once and for all. Only in this way will we defend our country. Only in this way will the investment program of Cyprus be protected – not with the communication management for internal consumption purposes and the attempt to shift responsibilities underway by the Presidential Palace and DISY, together with their subservient mass media.
