Cabinet has approved a raft of draft laws aiming to modernise both audit and law offices, in a move described as a key pledge of President Nikos Christodoulides’ government.

Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis, speaking after the cabinet meeting, said the reforms tackle long-standing concerns about how these institutions operate. A central change is the scrapping of the dual role held by the attorney-general, who has until now acted both as the state’s legal adviser and as head of public prosecutions.

Under the new bills, a completely independent office will be created, that of the director of public prosecutions and deputy director of public prosecutions. These new officials will be solely responsible for criminal prosecutions, while the attorney-general will remain the government’s legal counsel.

He made it clear that the provisions in general were not up for debate and did not affect the constitutional authorities of the attorney-general, which are established through the Constitution.

But through the reforms, the attorney-general would be losing his dual role, Hartsiotis said.

He explained that the attorney-general would be remaining the legal adviser to the state, however he would no longer be the state prosecutor. “A new totally independent service” will be created, that of the general public prosecutor, to assume these duties, Hartsiotis added.

The minister highlighted that modernising state institutions was one of President Christodoulides’ pre-election promises.

“With this step, we are implementing yet another commitment of the president and this government,” he said.

A key feature of the reforms is also granting the Audit Office financial independence, a demand the service has pursued for years. Hartsiotis said that, as a result of the cabinet’s decision, the Audit Office will become financially autonomous, strengthening its ability to scrutinise state finances without external pressures.

The tenure of both the auditor-general and deputy auditor-general will be fixed at eight years, under the proposed laws.

Importantly, the legislation updates the professional qualifications required for the auditor-general, revising criteria that have been in place since Cyprus’ 1960 constitution. Hartsiotis explained that the updated requirements reflect modern needs and demand broader and more specialised expertise for the role.

Another significant measure is the creation of an Audit Council. This body will support the auditor-general’s work and offer oversight and advice. The three-member council, appointed by the cabinet for five-year terms, will inspect general policies of the Audit Office, review documents, and may summon the auditor-general or their deputy for discussions.

Crucially, however, Hartsiotis emphasised that the Audit Council will not wield control over the constitutional powers of the auditor-general.

“The specific powers of the auditor-general remain entirely unaffected,” he insisted, adding that the council is intended to bolster, rather than undermine, the office’s role.

He also noted that similar bodies exist in most European countries, with only four exceptions.

Turning to the law office, Hartsiotis said the reforms will also grant financial independence to the office, another long-standing demand. Apart from that, the attorney-general, deputy attorney-general, director of public prosecutions, and deputy director of public prosecutions will all serve single, non-renewable eight-year terms.

Hartsiotis pointed out that the two institutions, the law office and the new prosecution office, will become entirely independent of each other. Each will have its own prosecutorial council, responsible for appointments, promotions and transfers within their respective services. He explained that this separation is designed to enhance transparency and ensure that no single official or institution exercises excessive influence over both legal advice to the state and criminal prosecutions.

The European Commission has highlighted the need for a clearer separation of powers in Cyprus’ legal system, while the Cyprus bar association has warned that the proposed reforms could pose practical challenges during the transition.

The bills will now go to the House of Representatives.