By Martin Hellicar
HOUSE WATCHDOG Committee chairman Christos Pourgourides refuses to let former Interior Minister Dinos Michaelides off the hook.
The Disy deputy’s persistent accusations of corruption may have forced Michaelides to resign earlier this year, but Pourgourides yesterday told the House plenum he wanted a fresh state probe into Michaelides’ alleged misdemeanours.
“I call on the Attorney-general to investigate again so that the truth may shine at last,” Pourgourides said in an impassioned address which opened an oft-postponed debate on his committee’s report into Michaelides’ alleged actions as minister.
Michaelides was cleared of any wrongdoing by three separate probes. He was only forced to quit his post after former government spokesman Christos Stylianides resigned in protest at a cabinet decision to back him.
Pourgourides repeated his claims that Michaelides had abused his position as minister for personal financial gain, and he labelled the past investigations “fiascos”.
“The criminal investigators said they would not investigate my complaints of money laundering because, at the time it happened, the law had not yet been passed,” he said. “But the money laundering law clearly states it is retroactive.”
The Disy deputy told the House that despite the three investigations the crux of his allegations – that Michaelides was guilty of unlawful enrichment – had not been properly looked into. “No-one, but no-one, has dealt with what property the minister had when he took office, and what he had when he left, and how he got it,” Pourgourides said.
The Inland Revenue Department is still investigating the former minister’s tax returns, but Pourgourides said this did not represent a “full” assets probe.
Pourgourides also spoke of his “sorrow” at “having” to campaign against Michaelides: “The minister was my friend until the day I made the charges. But what would happen if we always turned a blind eye to what a friend did?”
He said Cyprus was riddled with corruption and he felt it was his duty to fight it: “There’s no smoke without fire, and in Cyprus the smoke is often black and choking.”
The debate is set to continue on May 6.
