CYPRUS’ EU Presidential Secretariat remained in the spotlight yesterday when it emerged that a family connection of the Secretariat’s boss, Andreas Moleskis, was on the committee that appointed his daughter’s close friend and housemate to a top position.
The secretariat yesterday also accepted the resignation of the housemate, Athanasios Kagiaras, from the €60K per annum post as the Presidency’s events coordinator in Brussels following a series of newspaper reports that had highlighted the connection between Moleskis and his daughter.
In a letter to Politis newspaper the Secretariat’s head of logistics, Ninos Savvides said Kagiaras resigned “for reasons of dignity” and the secretariat had accepted.
Asked why his daughter’s housemate had resigned, Moleskis told the Cyprus Mail: “He was fed up with the intrusion in his private life, and he said he is not interested.”
He continued: “If you go through Politis you see his photograph with my daughter… (It is) implying he got his contract because of his co-habitance with my daughter, and he’s had enough… What if instead of being her boyfriend, it was a girlfriend or a friend from university?”
Moleskis defended the appointment, saying that all legal procedures had been followed and that he was the only candidate who met the job criteria, which included; knowledge of Brussels, French and English language skills and a readiness to work long hours. Kagiaras had been appointed to oversee the Brussels end of meetings and conferences related to Cyprus EU presidency which begins next July.
However, with reportedly little event management experience listed on his CV on the business networking site, LinkedIn.com, some press reports have questioned his suitability for the €4958 per month role.
Asked about 28-year-old Kagiaras’ experience, Moleskis said: “Can you specify any Cypriots who have organised events for the presidency of the European Union?”
Moleskis also distanced himself from the selection process, saying he had “nothing whatsoever to with the selection” and that Kagiaras’ status as a cohabitant with his daughter did not put him in a privileged position.
“He is not in a privileged position and there was no involvement (in the appointment of Kagiaras) on my part.”
However, whether by design or coincidence, Moleskis does have a familial involvement with the selection: Dafni Mavrommati, the daughter of his son-in-law (married to Moleskis’ other daughter) is not only in the secretariat, on secondment from the planning department, but on the approval committee that appointed Kagiaras.
Moleskis emphatically denied having any relatives on the committee that selected his daughter’s boyfriend saying: “No, I am not related to anyone on the committee. It is a barbarian (suggestion)”
However, he later conceded that Mavrommati was daughter of his son in-law but said he could not remember if she was involved in the committee as he was not closely involved.
He said: “I am not sure, I cannot remember, I will have to check.”
And while Moleskis could not confirm her role in appointing his daughter’s housemate, Savvides could.
“(Mavrommati) was one of the three people on the committee, which was appointed based on existing law and approved by the Presidential Palace,” he told the Cyprus Mail yesterday.
Savvvides declined to name the two other committee members, and said he was not aware of the relationship between Mavrommati, Moleskis and Kagiaras.
Asked how she was selected for the committee, Savvides explained that there were only two or three people available to join the committee.
The EU presidency website, http://www.cy2012eu.gov.cy lists eight members in the logistics department, and 19 people excluding Moleskis and consultants.
Cyprus assumes the EU presidency in July 2012.
