Alma: Independent authority should select researchers for 'Mafia State' case
The Alma party is calling for the criminal investigators who will examine the findings of the 'Mafia State' report to be selected by the independent anti-corruption authority rather than by the cabinet.
Alma: Independent authority should select researchers for 'Mafia State' case
The political party Alma has called for the criminal investigators who will investigate the findings of the 'Mafia State' report to be appointed by the independent anti-corruption authority instead of the cabinet, emphasising that the process must be free from actual and apparent conflicts of interest.
The intervention came after government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymiotis confirmed that the government intends to appoint a team of independent criminal investigators to evaluate the findings of the authority's investigation into the allegations contained in the book 'Mafia State'.
The report concluded that former president Nicos Anastasiades may face criminal liability for abuse of power.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Alma argued that the central issue is not the number of investigators to be appointed, but "who will select them, who will appoint them and with what institutional legitimacy".
The party stated that President Nicos Christodoulides faces "an apparent conflict of interest", as he served as a minister in the Anastasiades government and also testified during the investigation.
"With two obstacles and an apparent conflict of interest, will Christodoulides decide on the investigators?" the party asked.
Alma cited previous decisions that excluded officials from involvement in the case. It referred to the recusal of deputy attorney general Savvas Angelidis due to his role in the Anastasiades government, as well as the exclusion of prosecutor Elena Cleopas from the prosecution council after she testified as a witness on the matter.
The party argued that while the cabinet was involved because the leadership of the legal service could not act, the exceptional procedure should not create further institutional concerns.
Alma maintained that accountability can be secured only through a process that is demonstrably independent from the outset.
Source: Cyprus Mail
Source: Cyprus Mail