The removal of former Auditor General Odysseas Michaelides from the Audit Office will not affect the government’s plans to reform the legal and audit services, Cyprus’ Justice and Public Order Minister Marios Hartsiotis said on Thursday.
Hartsiotis told philenews that the government aims to establish an Audit Council to oversee the Audit Office and create a separate Prosecution Service.
The former Auditor General, Odysseas Michaelides, had strongly opposed the proposed changes to the Audit Office, believing that the service was already functioning with 2024 standards, had been modernised, and was recognised by the EU and the INTOSAI organisation.
The Ministry of Justice and Public Order, acting on President Christodoulides’s instructions, had prepared two bills concerning the necessary changes in both the Audit Office and the Law Office.
The government aims to establish an Audit Council to oversee the Audit Office, ensuring the continuation of the enhanced role achieved during Odysseas Michaelides’ tenure.
The government acknowledges that Michaelides had elevated the Audit Office and wishes to continue this momentum to combat corruption wherever it exists in public life.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Justice is considering initiating a consultation process with political parties regarding the two bills to hear their views, reservations, and reactions.
The two bills will undergo legal scrutiny before being sent to the House of Representatives for review.
However, the House of Representatives may find it challenging to accept a bill that alters the philosophy of control established in recent years under Michaelides’ leadership.
Two candidates are reportedly being considered to replace Michaelides as Auditor General.
