Demands corruption probe

Akel on Friday blasted the government of former president Nicos Anastasiades for “criminally erroneous and suspicious decisions” and of incumbent Nikos Christodoulides for “incompetence and irresponsibility” regarding the Vasiliko liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, which has once again come under fire.

Akel general secretary Stefanos Stefanou said his party would be sending a letter to the authority against corruption, urging it to initiate an investigation into Vasiliko.

Stefanou told a press conference that he had warned as far back as 2019 that the contact for Vasiliko would lead the economy into “new adventures”.

He read out a statement he had made on October 14, 2019, in which he said that the government was being “impatient” regarding the terminal at Vasiliko and that its actions would subsequently lead to an increase in the price of electricity.

Akel, he said, had voiced concerns on many occasions, including at parliament and in meetings with the government.

“They are trying to say that something has gone wrong, but we are all to blame. No, we are not all to blame. The Vasiliko scandal, as well as the great sea interconnector (GSI) which is evolving into a scandal, has protagonists with names,” Stefanou said.

He added that “it was not Akel that made communication fiestas […] but Disy.”

Stefanou also said Akel was not satisfied with the position of the Law Office that it could not look into the matter while there was an ongoing European investigation.

Thus, Akel will be sending a letter to the authority against corruption, asking it to instigate an investigation on suspicion of collusion and corruption.

“There is plenty of material. If there is a political will to investigate, the material is there,” Stefanou said.

He added that the issue was not just the €67 million the European Commission had told Cyprus it must give back for the botched project.

Cyprus has been given until November to repay millions of euros which had been paid by the European Commission in grants for the construction of the liquefied natural gas terminal at Vasiliko.

The government is awaiting legal advice after the European Commission demanded the return of €67 million it had paid for the Vasiliko LNG terminal that was never completed, Energy Minister George Papanastasiou said on Friday.

“It is the taxpayers that will be made to pay this money,” Stefanou stressed and clarified that it was much more than €67 million if one considered the GSI as well and €1.3 million in fines for emissions since 2018.

Stefanou said the government was contradicting itself on the GSI, with the energy minister saying everything was proceeding according to plan and the finance minister saying the project was not viable.

“So, what is the position of the government on this project of strategic and crucial importance?” he wondered.

He also called on the government to clarify who would be ultimately paying the damage.

The country, he said, was facing a serious energy security and adequacy problem, which was why electricity was so expensive.

“The government cannot go on saying that nothing is wrong and Disy cannot continue to maintain a wait-and-see attitude,” Stefanou said.

He added that the government had promised it would implement its ‘plan B’ and complete the Vasiliko terminal within 15 months. This, he said, was 14 months ago and nothing has been done.

“We are facing an energy risk as a result of criminally erroneous, bad and suspicious decisions and contracts signed by the previous government of Anastasiades and Disy, but at the same time the incompetence, contradiction and irresponsibility of the government of Christodoulides,” Stefanou pointed out.

He said it was “not an exaggeration to say that, unfortunately, he [Christodoulides] is also continuing the collusion and corruption” of Anastasiades’ tenure.

Stefanou also mentioned the photovoltaic issue, where the public were called to install systems but the state failed to provide the infrastructure for them to work.

“And for all this there is no responsibility, the responsibilities are floating in the air and seeking someone to assume them,” Stefanou said.

Akel’s leader referred to various proposals put forward by the party to cut the cost of electricity, some of which have already been tabled at the House. These include reducing VAT on electricity, withdrawing green taxes, taxing high renewable energy profits and subsidising vulnerable groups.