Filenews 2 July 2025
The Council of Ministers gave the green light to the modernization of the Legal and Audit Service.
Confirming a report by Filenews, the Attorney General and the Assistant Attorney General remain legal advisors to the state and head the Legal Service. The position of Prosecutor General and Assistant Public Prosecutor is created, who assume exclusively the prosecuting role that the Attorney General currently has. It is noted that non-renewable eight-year terms of office are established for the persons who will hold these positions.
As far as the Audit Service is concerned, a three-member Audit Board is established, by decision of the Council of Ministers, which will operate in conjunction with the Auditor General and the Assistant Auditor General. At the same time, the financial autonomy of the Audit Service is guaranteed, an eight-year, non-renewable term of office is set for the Auditor General and the Assistant Auditor General. And finally, the qualifications required for appointment to this position are updated and modernized.
In his statements after the end of the Council of Ministers, the Minister of Justice, Marios Hartsiotis, said that today's decision makes the Audit Service financially autonomous. He added that it is stipulated that after the implementation of the relevant legislation that will be passed, the term of office of the Auditor General and Assistant Auditor General will be eight years.
Furthermore, there is a provision that modernizes the qualifications of the Auditor, which were last institutionalized on the basis of the constitutional provision of 1960.
Regarding the Board of Auditors, he explained that these regulations do not affect the duties and powers of the Auditor General and clarified that they are not affected to any extent. On the contrary, as he said, this institution of the Board of Auditors – which most European states have except four – is reinforcing. The Council will have specific responsibilities such as inspecting the overall policy implemented by the Audit Office, providing advisory services and supervision of the implementation of the Office's work. Its members will be three and will be appointed by the respective Council of Ministers and the term will be five years. The Council, as he explained, will express an opinion on the content of either the annual report or the special reports. It will have the ability to check various details, documents and also to invite the Auditor General to the respective sessions to form an opinion. The opinion of the Board of Auditors, as he said, may be recorded in the form of a note in the annual report of the Auditor General or in the special reports published from time to time by the Audit Office.
The Minister stressed that the entry into force of the regulations will be immediate, with their publication in the official gazette of the Republic of Cyprus, after their vote by the Parliament.
Regarding the modernization of the Legal Service, Mr. Hartsiotis stated that the dual role of the Prosecutor is abolished and now remains as the legal advisor of the state and the head of the Legal Service, in charge of the duties he has had until now in relation to civil and administrative law. At the same time, as he said, a new completely independent service is being institutionalized, that of the General Public Prosecutor and the Assistant Public Prosecutor General, who will now be in charge of the entire prosecution role, the criminal role, which is currently in charge of the Attorney General. With relevant legislation, he added, the legal service is autonomous, while fixed and non-renewable (eight-year) terms of office are established for both the Attorney General and the Assistant Attorney General and the Assistant Public Prosecutor.
Furthermore, he explained that the two institutions are completely independent, and will be subject to the part of promotions and transfers to the Prosecutor's Councils. There will be a Public Prosecutor's Council in the Office of the Attorney General, as well as in the Office of the General Public Prosecutor.
The four officials, he added, will be appointed by the President of the Republic, while in relation to the Board of Auditors, he added, the term of office will be five years and the appointment of its members will be made by the Council of Ministers.
Responding to questions from journalists, Mr. Hartsiotis explained that there are explicit provisions that do not affect the existing status of the officials present in any way. There is a provision that says that while the offices and the whole structure are expected to operate at the end of 2027, if we have the resignation of any official, e.g. in 2026 and if the legislation has already been passed, the new one will be appointed for eight years from 2026, regardless of whether the legislation is expected to be implemented around the end of 2027.
