Auditor General’s Tenure Under Scrutiny Amid Legal Tensions
The audit office has expressed its readiness to face any potential legal challenges regarding the tenure of Auditor General Odysseas Michaelides. Marios Petrides, a spokesman for the audit office, stated with confidence that the office is prepared for any proceedings, whether they occur “today, next month, or next year.”
Petrides revealed that there have been longstanding indications that the legal service was contemplating steps to remove Michaelides from his position. He pointed to the contentious golden passport investigations as a moment when the legal service’s intentions came to light.
Michaelides has enlisted the expertise of the law office of Christos Clerides, George Triantafyllides, and Pambos Ioannides to represent him, with the costs being covered privately. On the other side, the legal service has engaged the services of L. Papaphilippou and Kallis & Kallis firms. This move comes in anticipation of a possible escalation of the dispute to the Supreme Court, where the legal service would require external representation due to its inability to act both as a witness and as a litigant.
The legal service has not yet provided comments on its plans to bring the issue before the Supreme Court. The tension between the audit office and legal service escalated following remarks by deputy attorney-general Savvas Angelides suggesting that the Supreme Court should determine Michaelides’s fate.
Michaelides has interpreted these developments as retaliatory, especially after his office accused Angelides of a conflict of interest involving a former client. In response to inquiries about whether the legal service intends to pursue Supreme Court intervention, President Nikos Christodoulides directed questions back to the legal service, emphasizing his role as separate from the institution and describing the situation as “not pleasant.”
Christodoulides also highlighted ongoing government reform plans for the “two top institutions,” which he announced on January 29. These efforts are said to be unrelated to the current dispute. Both the audit office and legal service maintain their independence, with their respective heads removable only by a Supreme Court ruling or voluntary resignation.
