The Pandora Papers cannot but be discussed in the Cyprus Parliament

 

Statement by AKEL MP Andreas Pasiourtides after the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Institutions, Merit and the Commissioner for Administration (Ombudsman)

20 October 2021, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

Today the Committee on Institutions, Merit and the Commissioner for Administration (Ombudsman) decided to register for debate the issue which we attempted to register last week as AKEL and I am referring to the notorious Pandora Papers. The matter has been registered in a way, and at this point I must express my satisfaction and that of the other members of the Committee on Institutional Affairs, because the whole spectrum of either possible cases of tax evasion, tax avoidance or money laundering can be studied.

However, in order not to hide behind our finger, we must mention that the whole debate has begun recently, precisely because of the investigative journalism that has revealed and is referred to as the Pandora Papers. Countries such as Chile have started proceedings to dismiss the President because his case was mentioned in the Pandora Papers. The European Parliament has also in a detailed manner discussed the references to the Pandora Papers.

For that reason, this reference could not be absent from the debate on this issue in the Cypriot Parliament. Of course, the discussion will not be limited to the Pandora Papers. The aim is to see whether there are also cases that refer to other investigations or other paradise papers, as they are called, because the aim of all of us is transparency and accountability, as we repeatedly are stressing.

Once again, I would like to express my satisfaction, since a convergence has been reached by everyone and I think this is good not only for the Committee on Institutional Affairs, but also for the Republic of Cyprus in general.