Anti-corruption bill to go to House despite party disagreements

A bill creating an independent anti-corruption authority will be put to the vote even if disagreements between parties continued to exist, House legal affairs committee chairman Nicos Tornaritis said Wednesday.

The Disy MP said the committee was almost done with the discussion of the bill, which will be forwarded to the plenum even if there were disagreements.

Tornaritis said certain concerns were still on the table, but he sought to assure that the bill will not be passed just for the sake of having a law.

“This legislation must be a strong one, which will convey the message at every level that the Republic of Cyprus is clamping down on corruption, wherever it stems from,” he said.

Tornaritis said the bill will be discussed in one more session of the committee, pledging to send it to plenum come what may.

“It will be a strong legislation, not just wrapping,” he said.

Opposition parties’ main grievances are based on the fact that the government insists on members of the authority being appointed by the executive.

They also argue that it will have no real power, with its remit only including collection of information and investigation of complaints, without having the capacity to hold accountable anyone found culpable.