Anastasiades faces golden passport scandal investigation

The Economic Committee of the Parliament has approved the release of €1.04 million for procuring services for the Anti-Corruption Authority's investigations.

This allocation aims to secure specialized services for the inquiries conducted by the Anti-Corruption Authority regarding the complaints it receives.

Following the decision, Christos Christofides, a Member of Parliament from AKEL, expressed disappointment on Monday, highlighting serious shortcomings in the investigation process concerning complaints submitted by AKEL to the Authority.

AKEL had lodged complaints with the Authority regarding the golden passports issue. Today, Haris Pogiatzis, the President of the Authority, acknowledged the need for a "restart" in the investigation of these well-known complaints, citing that "certain things did not happen as they should have." He emphasized the necessity of essentially starting the investigations anew.

Christofides questioned the criteria for appointing investigators and why external experts are involved in some investigations but not others. Pogiatzis noted that for high-profile cases, external experts are often brought in.

He also raised concerns about the seriousness attributed to their complaints, particularly those against former Presidents and governing parties, wondering why external experts weren't called in for these cases.

Furthermore, Christofides queried whether the selection of investigators predetermines the depth and scope of the investigation.

He also questioned the terms of reference for the investigators, as in the case of AKEL's complaints, where investigators were instructed merely to verify the validity of certain information.

Christofides reiterated concerns about the investigators' capability to handle such complex investigations involving former Presidents and governing parties.

Months later, his concerns were acknowledged by Pogiatzis, confirming the validity of the warnings raised earlier.

[With information sourced from CNA]