‘Why has my appointment not been approved?’

STONEWALLED Cyprus News Agency (CNA) director Christophoros Christophorou has challenged the Cabinet and the President to answer why the law has not been applied in his case.

Last December, Christophorou applied for the post of CNA director, and won. Following standard procedure, the agency’s board decided his appointment, forwarding its decision to the Cabinet for final approval.

Christophorou has not received word since. The agency is being run by an acting director for eight months now.

Frustrated, Christophorou has released an open letter calling on the powers that be to explain why he has not been appointed despite meeting all the requirements.

He told the Mail yesterday that for months he has been getting a clich? response that the matter has not been brought up before the Cabinet.

“These things normally take anywhere from two to four weeks to go through. It defies belief they have not discussed it yet.”

The Cabinet meets once a week, typically on Wednesdays.

According to Christophorou, back in May he addressed a letter to the secretariat of the Cabinet asking for an update. The Cabinet replied that they were expecting “clarifications and comments” from the CNA about the appointment.

To Christophorou’s knowledge, these clarifications were provided by CNA just days later.
“That still leaves four months without any action. Why?”

Christophorou himself declined to speculate on the delay, saying it was up to the Cabinet and the President to explain the situation.

He would also not comment on media reports that he was being given the cold treatment because he had come out in favour of the Annan plan in the 2004 referendum.

“The main point is, why is the law not being implemented? And this comes straight from the top – you can’t pin it on red tape or administrative mix-ups.”

It is the President who has the final say on the agenda of Cabinet meetings.

Christophorou said he was considering taking legal action against the Republic. At any rate, he added, he was determined to claim his rights as a citizen.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.