Scandal-hit Cyprus Unveils Measures To Tackle Graft

Cyprus on Friday unveiled a series of measures to tackle corruption, months after alleged abuses were uncovered in a controversial "golden passports" scheme for foreign investors

Nicosia, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Jan, 2021 ) :Cyprus on Friday unveiled a series of measures to tackle corruption, months after alleged abuses were uncovered in a controversial "golden passports" scheme for foreign investors.

President Nicos Anastasiades vowed to "create a strong network of prevention" and to "fight corruption" as he announced the new measures at a news conference.

Among the moves proposed were the creation of a graft-reporting hotline, legislation to protect whistleblowers, tougher sentences for those convicted of corrupt practices and speeding up the judicial process.

The Mediterranean island scrapped the passport scheme in November after Al Jazeera aired a documentary showing reporters posing as fixers for a Chinese businessman seeking a Cypriot passport despite having a criminal record.

The Doha-based television network reported that dozens of those who applied were under criminal investigation, international sanctions or even serving prison sentences.

Parliament speaker Demetris Syllouris and a senior lawmaker, secretly filmed allegedly trying to facilitate a passport for the fugitive investor, later resigned, although they denied any wrongdoing.

Anastasiades went on national television on Thursday to reject accusations that he had personally benefitted from the scheme through his family's law firm, but he admitted mistakes had been made.

"I believe that with everyone's cooperation and decisiveness, it is possible to adopt the proposed measures as soon as possible so we can create a strong network of prevention, protection, and fight corruption," the president said on Friday.

Other measures included the creation of an integrity service authorised to carry out real-time audits of politicians and their declared assets and probe possible conflicts of interest.

The island's police force would also face extra scrutiny with a special internal affairs unit.

"Our planning aims at the best possible reinforcement of the legislative, political, financial, and social environment," said Anastasiades.

Justice Minister Emily Yiolitis said a corruption-fighting unit answerable to the attorney general's office would draft a code of ethics for all state officials.

She said an independent anti-corruption authority would also be created for the public to come forward and provide information anonymously.

Cyprus, a member of the European Union since 2004, had long faced pressure from the EU to reform the passport scheme over concerns it may have helped organised crime gangs infiltrate the bloc.

The Nicosia government had argued that the scheme was set up to attract much-needed investment in the wake of the island's 2013 banking crisis.

Cyprus issued thousands of passports under the scheme which allowed investors to acquire one in exchange for an investment of 2.5 million Euros ($3 million), netting some seven billion euros for the state's coffers over the years.

The programme was also dogged by money laundering allegations.