By George Psyllides
THE GOVERNMENT Spokesman yesterday launched a scorching attack against a high-ranking state attorney who has, according to Michalis Papapetrou, repeatedly published insults in a party-run newspaper against President Glafcos Clerides and the government.
The attack came in reply to opposition accusations that the government was becoming increasingly autocratic.
Papapetrou wondered how the government could be autocratic when it had exhibited “too much tolerance in the case of state attorney Akis Papasavvas”.
The spokesman noted that there was too much discussion over the government being autocratic.
“The example of the specific attorney is classic evidence of the government showing too much tolerance,” Papapetrou said.
He stressed that in the Papasavvas case the government clearly did “not function properly”.
“I do not think there is any other country in the world where a top state attorney, every Monday in Haravghi, insults and abuses the president,” Papapetrou added.
He said: “He is sarcastic about the President’s age and disputes his mental ability.”
Papasavvas’ comments are published every Monday by AKEL mouthpiece Haravghi.
Papapetrou repeated that, in this case, the government had failed to act as it should, arguing that it deliberately opted not to take any measures despite the fact that several disciplinary probes had proved that the attorney had committed specific infringements.
The Government Spokesman told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that nothing had been done by the authorities after the investigating officer came up with incriminating findings.
Papapetrou stressed that there was no problem with him writing for a newspaper, rather with the contents of his columns, which were “insulting, if not vile”.
“The stuff he writes undermines the authority and ethos of his superior, the Attorney-general,” Papapetrou said.
He also criticised a book written by Papasavvas, in which he disputed the legality of the Foreign Minister, the Attorney-general, and the Undersecretary to the President accompanying Clerides during talks on the Cyprus issue.
“If they do not go with the president, who will?” he said.
Attorney-general Alecos Markides was yesterday unavailable for comment.
Papapetrou lashes out at state lawyer’s Haravghi columns
