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Irene Piki, the Deputy Minister to the President, has announced the withdrawal of a request for more than 200 thousand euros in funds to cover overtime pay for state officials working at the Presidential Office. She revealed this on state radio's Morning Routes program, specifying that the request was related to one specific person.
When asked if there was outside pressure to withdraw the request, the Deputy Minister declined to provide further details.
This development has stirred discussions in the Parliamentary Finance Committee, leading to reactions from various groups, especially AKEL, which saw it as a practice similar to what the previous Anastasiades government did.
Auditor General Odysseas Michaelides welcomed the decision to cancel the request for the Deputy Government Spokesperson's overtime pay. Michaelides considered the request fundamentally unacceptable, as confirmed by a preliminary audit of the data collected by the Audit Service. He expressed gratitude for the withdrawal and mentioned that the audit process would continue for other individuals.
The Audit Office, in partnership with the EEAS, has initiated an audit of overtime pay requests from officials seconded to the Presidency of the Republic. This audit involves a thorough examination of regular working hours and the documentation of overtime work.
[With information from CNA]
