The government turned the state into plunder and goods for sale
Statement by AKEL C.C. Spokesperson Stefanos Stefanou
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 9th October 2020, Nicosia
There is no end to the revelations about the ‘golden passports’ scandal set up by the Anastasiades-DISY government. The Audit Office has revealed that the Anastasiades government was not only handing passports/citizenship to investors, but also granted in mass numbers passports to their family members. For example, Mr. Anastasiades’ Saudi friend not only illegally obtained Cypriot citizenship, but five other members of his family also obtained passports, without making any investments whatsoever. Indeed, for one Saudi granted a passport, both of his wives were granted citizenship, a fact which raises additional issues.
At the same time, the Audit Office documents the way in which the Anastasiades government in April 2013 discreetly changed the procedures and criteria in order to begin the passport sale industry and the entire rich feast. Furthermore, the Audit Office reveals the other big con trick of this industry, namely the charging with 5% VAT on the purchase of real estate, instead of 19% as if the various investors were young couples buying their first home. The result was that the state lost millions of euros in revenues.
Is there really anyone who still doesn’t understand why the government zealously wants to prevent the Audit Office from scrutinizing to the very end what the government actually did with this program? Citizens have already understood what was happening. Corruption, non-transparency, illegal actions and irregularities, law firms acting as intermediaries, fraudsters from all over the world, friends with influence in the government and passports to harems. The Anastasiades-DISY government turned the state – even the very status of a citizen of the state – into a plunder and spoil, into goods for sale.
