President Christodoulides continued to receive foreign service allowances for three months after returning to Cyprus from his Brussels posting in 2013, according to an audit office report.
The report states that an unidentified senior diplomat, who according to philenews sources is President Christodoulides, received a General Foreign Service Allowance totalling €16,514 between March and May 2013, despite regulations stipulating that such payments should cease upon return to Cyprus. The allowance was eventually terminated on 1 July 2013.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ director-general, the arrangement was based on instructions from the then president and foreign minister, who required the diplomat to immediately assume duties in Cyprus while maintaining responsibilities in Brussels, including attending EU Foreign Affairs and General Affairs Councils.
The audit office highlighted several concerns, noting that the continuation of payments lacked proper ministerial approval initially, with retroactive approval only granted on 10 June 2013. The report also indicates that the diplomat was serving as both director of the foreign minister’s office and presidential advisor on European affairs (Sherpa) during this period.
The ministry defended the decision, citing the diplomat’s family circumstances – including three children in Brussels schools and a spouse serving in the diplomatic corps – and argued that immediate relocation would have resulted in additional costs to the state.
The case is part of a broader controversy involving approximately €55,000 in various allowances that former Auditor General Odysseas Michaelides had previously requested to be returned, leading to a public dispute with the presidential palace.
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