By Martin Hellicar
THE HOUSE watchdog committee was yesterday given fresh fuel to continue its persistent probe into the finances of Interior Minister Dinos Michaelides.
Despite the fact that Michaelides was cleared of corruption charges by cabinet-appointed investigators over two months ago, Attorney-general Alecos Markides yesterday gave the go-ahead for the Auditor-general’s and Income tax offices to hand over to the committee details of the minister’s holdings and dealings.
The material was asked for by watchdog committee chairman Christos Pourgourides, who has long been trying to nail Michaelides for what he alleges was abuse of authority for personal gain.
The committee convened behind closed doors yesterday with Markides present. The Attorney-general commented afterwards that he had sanctioned the tabling of the official details before the committee and that it would probably take the committee a while to plough through all the information.
Michaelides, angered by Pourgourides’s dogged attacks, has asked to be allowed to speak before the House plenum when it debates the watchdog committee’s report on his alleged corruption.
Parliamentary party leaders met to discuss the minister’s unusual request yesterday but decided to put off any decision on the matter. “No decision was taken concerning Mr Michaelides’s suggestion that he address the plenum, ” House president Spyros Kyprianou said after the meeting.
He said party leaders had agreed to make their decision after the issue had been placed on the plenum agenda.
Kyprianou added that party leaders had agreed to find out from Pourgourides what his intentions were concerning the Michaelides probe.
“What was considered useful was to find out the intentions of the watchdog committee concerning the procedure it plans to follow from here on in,” he said.
The accusations Michaelides was examined for by state investigators late last year concerned alleged abuse of power at the immigration department and alleged unlawful enrichment through the sale of apartments.
Michaelides, who has always insisted on his complete innocence, tendered his resignation after the two state investigators were appointed, but President Clerides chose not to accept it.
Opinion polls suggest the corruption allegations have damaged the minister’s public image, giving rise to speculation he could be axed in a cabinet reshuffle rumoured to be imminent.
