FOUR SENIOR Foreign Ministry officials, including the permanent secretary, are under investigation for their alleged involvement in fabricating an internal memo regarding last month’s naval base explosion.
The Cabinet yesterday appointed a state prosecutor to investigate the foursome’s possible involvement in “serious disciplinary offences”, said government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou.
Later in the day Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis confirmed she had applied in writing to the Public Service Commission (PSC) for her subordinates’ suspension.
The PSC will have the final say whether to go ahead with their suspensions.
The officials include permanent secretary Nicholas Emiliou, first secretary of the permanent secretary’s office Giorgos Yiangou, head of the department of multilateral affairs and international organisations Michalis Stavrinos and attaché Giulia Sykopetrites.
The four are reportedly under investigation for their alleged involvement in engineering or altering an internal memo referring to a bi-ministerial meeting on February 7. The meeting was between the Ministers of Defence and Foreign Affairs to discuss the munitions cargo stored at the Evangelos Florakis naval base. According to reports the foursome was somehow involved in preparing the memo after the July 11 blast. The memo was allegedly a recording of the positions stipulated by both ministers at the meeting.
Emiliou has since released a statement adamantly denying his involvement in any way.
Rumours have also since circulated that the officials’ names were leaked to the media by the presidential palace prior to the Cabinet decision to divert attention away from the furore caused by the publication of an explosive report documenting a 2009 meeting between President Demetris Christofias and Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.
Speaking to reporters following yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, Stefanou said the Foreign Minister had proposed the investigation on the Attorney-general’s recommendation. Petros Clerides addressed a letter to Kozakou-Marcoullis making his suggestion 10 days ago.
Stefanou said the “possible disciplinary offences” committed by the foursome involved their management of documents related to the ongoing Mari explosion investigation.
The investigation was being conducted under an article of the Civil Service law and would be carried out by state prosecutor Antonis Vassiliades, he added.
Stefanou refrained from further comment despite journalists efforts to confirm whether the investigation involved reports that the officials’ had been involved in doctoring or fabricating documents.
“I am not about to say anything more. These matters are under investigation and we are the last ones who want the investigation influenced,” he said.
Hours before Kozakou-Marcoullis’ announcement, Stefanou remained non-committal about whether the foursome would face suspension pending the investigation’s conclusion.
“That is not a Cabinet matter and is always a matter for the competent authority and in this case the Foreign Minister who will consult with the Public Service Commission in according with the Cyprus Republic’s laws and regulations,” he said.
By 5.30pm Kozakou-Marcoullis confirmed she had applied in writing to the PSC for their suspension.
In response to the Cabinet decision, Emiliou later put out a public statement in his defence.
The permanent secretary said he had “no reason”, “no motive” and “no personal gain” to fabricate or tamper with documents regarding a meeting he had not even attended.
“I have no knowledge regarding the circumstances which led to the drafting of the specific document at the time it was drafted,” Emiliou’s statement said.
The permanent secretary said: “I never gave any Ministry official instructions with regard to the said document nor did I ask for any changes to be made to it.”
Emiliou said it had been under his “strict instructions” that the document had never been filed officially nor had it ever been regarded as an “official document”.
He said: “Any general involvement I had in the issue of the ‘Monchegorsk; ship does not extend beyond June 2010. I look forward to the speedy completion of the entire procedure and reserve all my legal rights.”
