THE HOUSE Finance Committee has asked the government for detailed cost information before releasing the remaining €300,000 allocated in the 2012 budget to cover the cost of the President’s air travel.
The budget item for the needs of the Office of the President includes €370,000 for the head of state’s air travels.
Some €70,000 were released earlier this month for a flash trip by President Christofias to Copenhagen. This amount had been released upfront on parliament’s approval of the budget.
Parliament withheld the remainder of the budget item for the rest of the year.
Since 2010 the President has been using a private jet for some of his overseas travels, following an agreement between the government and NetJet.
In 2011, there was no provision in the budget for this item; in that year, the Finance Ministry obtained the necessary funds by pinching from other, often unrelated, budget items.
For the current year, a specific budget item has been introduced, but lawmakers want assurances that the money is being well spent.
Before the House Finance Committee yesterday, Finance Ministry officials argued that the release of the entire remaining sum was imperative, given that Christofias is anticipated to make several trips abroad this year, in particular with regard to Cyprus’ rotating presidency of the EU.
Legislators have asked for a breakdown of flight cost information before releasing the funds. It’s understood the President uses the private jet only for shorter-distance trips, such as for European destinations.
“In principle, we have no objection to releasing,” said DISY MP Harris Georgiades, who sits on the committee.
“To an extent, we understand the upcoming requirements of the EU presidency,” he told the Cyprus Mail.
He added: “But it’s purely an issue of procedure and transparency. Did we ask for tenders from private airlines, did we ask for specifications, and strike a deal with the lowest bidder? The answer to these is basically no.”
Asked whether the remaining €300,000 would be enough, given that this promises to be quite a busy year for the President, Georgiades said: “Good question.”
Yiannos Lamaris, deputy with ruling AKEL, told newsmen the President’s use of a private jet should not been seen “merely as a mathematical equation… the time saved by the President should also be factored in.”
Also yesterday, the House committee agreed to the release of funds for the positions of permanent secretary at three ministries – Communications, Justice and the Interior.
The positions were left vacant when the former permanent secretaries retired.
MPs were persuaded that these were key positions that needed to be filled if the administration is to function smoothly once Cyprus assumes the EU presidency in July.
