While, according to the Auditor General, the Audit Service has appealed to the Supreme Court in relation to the opinion of the Attorney General, and its adoption by the Ministry of Finance, to rename the Assistant Auditor General and the Assistant Attorney General, to Assistant Auditor General and Assistant Attorney General respectively, the Supplementary Budget presented before the Finance Committee on Monday provides for the adoption of the Attorney General's opinion and the renaming of the posts through it.
The Auditor General, Odysseas Michaelides, using the expression of Averof Neophytou in a previous debate on the issue in the Plenary of the Parliament in 2015, called it a "constitutional aberration", as the change of the names of the positions of the Auditor General, Assistant Auditor General, Assistant Attorney General, Assistant Attorney General, Assistant Attorney General, Governor of the CBI and Deputy Governor of the CBI are determined by the Constitution and can only be changed by a decision of the Supreme Court, he said.
He noted that the Audit Office has appealed to the Supreme Court following the adoption of the Attorney General's opinion by the Ministry of Finance and his recommendation is that the specific provisions in the supplementary budget should not be amended, pending the decisions of the Supreme Court.
Finance Ministry spokeswoman, Melina Katsunotou, presenting the supplementary budget, said that it provides for a 171.8 million euro allocation and covers the needs of the Anti-Corruption Authority and the Deputy Ministry of Culture, while it also includes funds for defence and other needs that arose on an exceptional basis, along with the renaming for the posts of Assistant Attorney General and Assistant Auditor General.
During the debate, DISY MP, Harris Georgiades, said that the supplementary budget allows for important policies and institutions, such as the Deputy Ministry of Culture, the Independent Authority against Corruption, 55 million for defence armouring and important arms programmes.
AKEL, DPA-Cooperation and Ecologues MPs wondered why the appeal to the state's budgetary possibilities is made only for the government's proposals, while the opposition's proposals are treated as populism.
In a statement after the end of the debate, the Deputy Chairman of the Finance Committee, DIKO MP Hrisis Pantelides, said that "I am alienated by the Ministry of Finance's haste to raise an issue that is pending before the Supreme Court in the context of a supplementary budget submitted to cover extraordinary expenses."
DISY MP, Onoufrios Koulla, said that the possibility of submitting a supplementary budget of €178 million, is a consequence of prudent fiscal management, "away from policies that had led us to adventures and bankruptcy, so that we now have funds to support housing programmes for young people, a budget for maintenance and repair of churches in the occupied areas, strengthening of defence armouring", while it also serves new policies, such as the Deputy Ministry of Culture and the Independent Anti-Corruption Authority.
He added that the state has decided to spend €300 million to support citizens and the economy, while there are also unexpected expenditures, such as increased electricity and wage bill that the state is required to pay as a customer and employer. On the issue of the renaming of the roles of Assistant Auditor General and Assistant Attorney General, Kulla said that the Ministry of Finance has complied with the opinion of the Attorney General, as it should, as his opinions are binding on the Executive. If the Supreme Court's decision is different, the budget will be adjusted again, depending on the decision, he added.
AKEL MP Andreas Kavkalias noted that the government must "finally answer the question of the state's windfall capital, which results from price increases". He said it is an issue that has been raised repeatedly without clear answers. The second point raised by Kavkalias is that the supplementary budget includes very few funds to support the real economy, society, professional groups and small and medium-sized enterprises that have been hit by the economic crisis, noting the need to support the leisure and culture sector. On the issue raised by the Auditor General, Mr Kafkalias wondered again why this proposal had been included in the supplementary budget, especially as a decision was pending before the Supreme Court.
DPA-Collaboration MP, Alekos Tryfonidis, noted that "very specific proposals are not being discussed and adopted, regarding electricity, double taxation, taxation of pollutants. In addition, the injustice is maintained with the entertainment centers, which have been paid for 30 weeks and are still 32 short", since they were closed by decree for 62 weeks, while he added that people of culture should be supported.
Source: CNA
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