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The President of the Republic Mr.Nicos Christodoulides chaired a meeting of the Council of Ministers at the Presidential Palace today. Constantinos Letibiotis told reporters that "the Council of Ministers today decided to establish an Advisory Council for the appointment of the Boards of Directors of Legal Entities under Public Law.
This decision implements an important action of the governance programme in the context of the reorganization of the state and the promotion of participatory democracy. It will be an open public invitation to the public, through an announcement by the Cabinet Secretariat for expressions of interest.
The Advisory Council will be responsible for drawing up a list of recommendations to the competent Minister within 30 days. The list will be three times the number of vacancies provided for on the Board and a five-member sub-committee of the Advisory Council, the composition of which will depend on the nature of the organisation, will make recommendations to the Minister. The Minister will then recommend the candidates to the Cabinet.
In the event that the Cabinet does not select for appointment persons from that list, that decision must be fully justified.
The criteria for the selection of candidates, in addition to the provisions of the 1988 Act, that is, the existing criteria, will be the participation, as far as possible, of an equal number of men and women, the participation of individuals, experience, qualifications and skills, academic or other professional qualifications, whose social action and contribution contribute to the promotion of the objectives of the Agency and it will be ensured, by means of a declaration of commitment, that none of the proposed candidates has a direct or indirect financial, personal or other interest which conflicts with the interests of the Agency.
The proposed composition of the Advisory Council will consist of nine persons, one retired Cypriot judge of an international judicial body or a supreme administrative body in Cyprus acting as Chairman.
Member of the Cyprus Academy of Arts and Letters, member of the Council of the Cyprus Bar Association, member of the Council of the Association of Chartered Accountants, member of the Assembly of the Rectors of the Cyprus Universities, member of the Steering Committee of ETEC, member of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Association of Human Resources Management. One representative of the Minister to whom each designated Public Law Entity is subordinate. This person will vary depending on the organisation. And a retired Director General of the Ministry.
The term of office of the members will be five years or until the end of the term of office of the President of the Republic and the members of the Advisory Council will perform their duties without pay.
At this stage it will concern appointments to the Boards of Directors of organizations that fall under the provisions of the Limited Public Entity Laws. There are 11 organisations.
In addition to this, the Cabinet of Ministers today decided on a series of measures for coordination in matters of sanctions. Given the long-standing challenges we face, the need to demonstrate zero tolerance and the fact that Cyprus is a small, open and vulnerable economy with a significant contribution from the financial and professional services sector, the objective of safeguarding the country's name as a credible financial centre is crucial.
Therefore, the Presidency, in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, recommended the adoption of the following measures, which the Council of Ministers The individual will set specific timelines for the processing of information and evaluate recommendations for handling and action. This person will be provided with appropriate support to enable him/her to respond to this task.
Second, the signing of an agreement with the University of Cyprus with Dr. Milidoni as the researcher in charge for one year, renewable, to support actions to implement sanctions and restrictive measures in the Republic.
Third, an assessment by the Ministry of Finance in cooperation with other relevant authorities and the Legal Service within six months of any immediate improvements needed in the legislative framework. This work will be complementary to the broader work being undertaken to establish a national sanctions enforcement unit.
Fourth, prepare a study within six months to improve the governance and supervision of administrative services companies in the Republic, both in terms of governance and in terms of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing, and to establish a single supervisory authority for these companies. This work should take into account the broader supervisory planning being pursued at European level. For the preparation of the study, which will be coordinated under the Presidency and the Ministry of Finance, stakeholders, including the Cyprus Association of Certified Public Accountants, the Cyprus Bar Association and the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission, will be consulted.
Fifth, submission of a study by the Ministry of Justice and Public Order and the Cyprus Police within six months assessing the capabilities of law enforcement authorities to investigate and prosecute financial crime in the context of the Republic's activities as a financial centre. In this context, the study should identify any shortcomings in either staffing, resources or procedures and recommend solutions. The recommendations of the Council of Europe's Moneyval Committee on the Republic should also be taken into account.
Sixth, conduct an information campaign both internally and externally on corruption issues and compliance with the framework for restrictive measures and sanctions in the Republic.
Seventh, to conduct a campaign to promote Cyprus, rebranding, in cooperation with professional associations and other bodies.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, by means of an explicit statement, will inform the Embassies of these decisions."
Asked when the Advisory Council starts work, the Spokesman said that "it starts immediately. The exact composition of the Advisory Council will be announced at the next Cabinet meeting and it will begin."
Asked about the Directors General, the Spokesman said that "they will be announced after they themselves are informed first," adding that the announcement will be made in the next few days.
With regard to the sanctions measures and asked if they were taken after and in coordination with other states or organizations, the Spokesman said that "these are measures that the Republic of Cyprus is taking to show once again its commitment to zero tolerance and to maintaining and safeguarding the good name of our country. Of course, in order to arrive at these measures, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance and the Presidency with the Deputy Minister to the President, who was responsible for the preparation of this framework of proposals, have studied good practices, best practices of other countries."
Asked to comment on the attitude of the state in the case of Thanasis, the Spokesman said that "you are talking about the attitude of the Legal Service. It is a question of the Legal Service as an independent institution. You are talking about a tragedy that no one can question either the tragedy or what the family and this tragic mother has gone through over the last 18 years."
He added that "at the same time, as is well known, the Attorney General, the Legal Service is an independent institution and as such the Cyprus Government, the President of the Republic, cannot either intervene or interfere in its own opinions."
(PM/EP/EXP)
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