Statement by AKEL MP Giorgos Koukoumas on Transparency International’s research into corruption in Cyprus
17th June 2021, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia
65% of Cypriots believe that corruption has increased in our country over the last year, the biggest percentage across Europe. Furthermore, 68% of Cypriots believe and realize that our country’s government is dependent on private interests. This is recorded by the Global Corruption Barometer survey of Transparency International.
It is obvious that the problem with the Anastasiades government is that it is actually part of the problem of corruption. When it has been revealed that the government kept quiet and hid the European Commission’s warnings about the ‘golden’ passports scheme, how will corruption be confronted?
How will corruption be combated when the Cypriot government, according to the European Commission, continues to approve applications for golden passports?
Really, when Nikos Anastasiades and a number of his Ministers are themselves embroiled in a self-evident and glaring conflict of interest, how will corruption be stamped out?
