Supreme Court President irreparably exposed

Following revelations regarding the manner with which the Supreme Court adjudicated Bank of Cyprus appeal cases, the Director of Kathimerni Cyprus, Andreas Paraschos has called on the President of the Supreme Court Myron Nikolatos to resign immediately and to face justice.

''In short, the Attorney General says that the out-of-court settlement was made after the President of the Supreme Court had decided to adjudicate - together with two other members of the Court- for the outcome of the appeal lodged against the conviction [of the Bank] by the Criminal Court. According to Kathimerini sources, the out-of-court settlement was made in May 2018 and the decision (in favour of the Bank, with the vote of Nikolatos according to the Attorney General) was issued in September 2018''.

Attorney General Costas Clerides yesterday indicated that the Bank agreed to a settlement with Nikolatos after his daughter sued the Bank with regards to bond losses incurred during the Cyprus bail-in. ''In the case of the daughter who at the time was a minor, the whole legal transaction of the bonds was made by the judge himself, acting as the father of the minor. In his statement yesterday, the President of the Supreme Court does not question these facts... In my view, this is a very serious issue of objective impartiality which should have led to the President of the Supreme Court not being involved in a serious criminal case...'' Clerides explained.

The Supreme Court had also ignored the implications of the ruling derived from the Nicholas vs Cyprus case, which requires judges to recuse themselves from cases where family relatives are parties to a dispute. 

''It is our assessment and above all, based on common sense, that he must immediately submit his resignation and, if necessary, be held accountable by a court of law'', Paraschos said.

''The President of the Republic should be the guardian of the Constitution through the Cabinet, which is the highest state body, and directly appoint an investigative committee of irrefutable credibility, set up by experts from abroad to thoroughly investigate the situation.''

''Any other course of action will seriously threatened the Cypriot justice system and the independence of the judiciary, a logic that the Attorney General seems to agree with; who concludes in his statement that all of us have the opportunity to make corrective moves instead of putting the problems under the carpet''.