Newsroom
President Nicos Anastasiades will soon be presenting a package of proposals for the strengthening of transparency, accountability and the rule of law, deputy government spokesman Panayiotis Sentonas said Monday.
Speaking after a meeting on corruption held at the Presidential Palace with civil society representatives, who expressed their views on steps that need to be taken to tackle corruption in Cyprus, Sentonas said Anastasiades conveyed his determination and political will to take action toward this end.
Sentonas said the President briefed meeting participants on the steps already taken by the government, including pending and approved bills.
Anastasiades also extensively referred to recommendations included in reports issued by international organisations such as GRECO, Moneyval, and the European Commission, and outlined how these suggestions are to be implemented.
"The proposals submitted both at last Friday`s meeting attended by institutional actors, as well as the proposals submitted today will be taken seriously into account and will be part of a comprehensive package of proposals that will be publicly presented by the President of the Republic in the coming period, in order to enhance transparency, accountability and the rule of law," Sentonas said.
On behalf of Cyprus Integrity Forum and the other organisations that participated in the meeting, Marios Skandalis said that it was a common understanding in Monday’s meeting that in order to fight corruption in Cyprus, strategic planning and a holistic approach are needed in view of not only preventing but also effectively reacting to revelations of corruption.
Late last month, Anastasiades had announced that an anti-corruption package would be announced last week, but officials appear to be still working on a comprehensive bundle of proposals that would effectively mend the government's tarnished reputation and tackle corruption on the island, which took centre stage in recent months through a series of revelations by Al Jazeera's investigative unit, particularly as regards the Cyprus Investment Program.
