in-cyprus 25 July 2024 - by Fanis Makrides
The European Commission’s 2024 Rule of Law Report for Cyprus, released on Wednesday, highlights ongoing challenges in transparency and anti-corruption efforts, despite some progress in implementing previous recommendations.
Key findings include:
- The Audit Office faces obstacles in accessing information, particularly from certain public authorities, potentially undermining its effectiveness.
- Limited progress has been made in high-level corruption cases, with few convictions recorded.
- The European Public Prosecutor’s Office investigated one corruption case in 2023, representing about 11% of its total Cyprus caseload.
- Cyprus scored 53/100 in the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index, ranking 21st in the EU and 49th globally, with perceptions worsening over the past five years.
- The Independent Authority Against Corruption (IAAC) has made progress in acquiring monetary, technical, and human resources for executing its competencies, but requires continued support.
The report also notes the Attorney General’s request to dismiss the Auditor General, Odysseas Michaelides, who described it as “a direct threat to his institutional independence”.
While acknowledging positive steps, such as draft legislation to separate the Law Office’s advisory and prosecutorial roles, the Commission highlighted that there is still no mechanism to review the Attorney General’s decisions not to prosecute or discontinue proceedings.
