It is not possible for anyone to make allegations that show the President to be involved in acts of corruption or even criminal acts and for the matter not to be examined by the competent authorities, President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades said today.
In his statements to journalists on the sidelines of the Annual General Assembly of the Union of Cyprus Municipalities, in Lefkara, the President of the Republic, asked about his meeting tomorrow on issues that fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice and on the issue of the Central Prisons, said that "it is an issue that (seems to be) an insurmountable problem in the public debate. I considered that under the circumstances, as they are formed, and in order to create the necessary conditions for a smooth operation, as has been the case until now, either of the Prisons Department or of cooperation between various institutions, a meeting should be held, to address the existing problems, to remove any misinterpretations or misunderstandings, so that the state can operate smoothly as it has been operating until recently."
Asked if he believed that with the outcome there would be no conflict, the President said "I see no reason why there should be conflict, everyone is interested in doing their best to address problems the country is facing."
Asked about the issue of the Anti-Corruption Authority, the President said that "I have already sent a letter through which, citing the articles of the law establishing the Anti-Corruption Authority, I indicate that it is now being imposed ex officio, because it is not possible for anyone to make allegations that show the President to be involved in acts of corruption or even criminal offences and for the competent authorities to remain indifferent - I have not found anything similar, for God's sake - as the law establishing the Authority, Articles 6, 7 and so on, not to mention legal matters. And indeed the invitation and challenge is to make public any result of the investigations."
Asked to say how much it bothers him that a close associate of his on the Cyprus issue took this action, the President said that "it does not bother me what Mr. Mavroyiannis did. He did not say that he was complaining, he said what I said, that is, that it should be investigated ex officio. If I find fault somewhere, it is that an experienced diplomat, when the President is on an important mission abroad, does not create problems that might diminish the importance of the visit, in the sense of undermining the President's efforts abroad. Nothing beyond that."
Asked what was discussed during his meeting with the Attorney General yesterday, the President said that "the various issues concerning the legality of bills, referral, petition and so on were discussed. As you are well aware, there is the issue of the suspension of auctions and other issues which had to be studied in order for the President to take appropriate decisions. Nothing, nothing from yesterday's conference had anything to do with the problems that have been created and will be dealt with tomorrow".
(PM/EP/SX)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
