The establishment of a national anti-corruption strategy would effectively support ongoing efforts to tackle impunity in Cyprus, concurrently upgrading current legal framework on the island, officials have stated.
Addressing an event organized by the University of Cyprus on corruption in the public sphere, on the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day, Acting President of Cyprus and House President Yiannakis Omirou emphasized the necessity of forming an independent authority responsible for investigating cases of corruption.
He noted, moreover, that supervising institutions must be effectively reinforced to combat money laundering.
Similarly, Attorney General Costas Clerides commented that impunity encourages and perpetuates phenomena of corruption, noting that it is imperative for every state to combat such phenomena. Both citizens and officials must cooperate to this end, he said.
Impunity has been a major, long-standing problem in Cyprus, General Auditor Odysseas Michaelides added, revealing that corruption on the island primarily concerns politicians and political parties that cannot be addressed through a criminal justice process.