Alma has launched a scathing attack against Nikos Anastasiadis and Democratic Alarm following the press conference held by the former President of the Republic regarding the “Mafia State” report.

“In a lengthy press conference, Nikos Anastasiades once again attempted to convince us that he is blameless and untainted, and that during his decade in office, corruption existed only in the imagination of the toxic and obsessive, the “forces of chaos,” who seek to destabilize the country. The former “President of Scandals” did not limit himself to defending himself. He chose to attack the Independent Anti-Corruption Authority itself. “When institutions serve their image, they invoke them. When institutions encroach on their power, they disparage them,” the Movement states in its announcement.

At the same time, it directs its criticism toward the Democratic Alarm.

“Even more revealing, however, is the stance of DISY. The party’s Deputy President rushed to stand by its honorary president, to describe his responses as convincing, and to essentially dismiss the Authority’s findings, which strip away the last fig leaf from the Anastasiades–DISY era. This comes as no surprise.

DISY is the very embodiment of the Anastasiades system; it was part of the same system of collusion and corruption that the Anti-Corruption Authority exposed. We’ve seen this time and time again. The findings of the Arestis Investigative Committee on the collapse of the Cooperative Bank were dismissed. An attempt was made to downplay the Nikolatos Report on the “golden passports.” The Audit Office’s reports on the Cyprus Investment Program were targeted. The same was true of its report on the Vasilikos scandal. Every time an independent institution shed light on the shadowy aspects of the Anastasiades–DISY administration, the response was the same: discrediting the institution, undermining its findings, and attempting to politically neutralize any scrutiny that touched their system.”

As Alma makes clear, “the presumption of innocence is a fundamental principle of the rule of law. However, it is not a gag on society. It is not a code of silence. It is not a shield of political impunity. It cannot be used by those who first took care to shield themselves politically, undermining critical institutions of justice, as Nikos Anastasiadis did.
Society is not calling for people’s courts. It is calling for accountability. And there can be no accountability when the investigation is led by the heads of the Legal Service or their subordinates, or by investigators selected by them or by the Council of Ministers. We remind you that the President of the Republic is a political protégé of Nicos Anastasiades; he served as his minister and, most importantly, was a witness in the case.”

ALMA, as it adds, has already submitted to Parliament, as a matter of urgency, two bills to strengthen the Independent Anti-Corruption Authority by granting it the power to appoint independent criminal investigators.

“The Chair of the Legal Affairs Committee shows no sign of rushing the matter. At the same time, we reiterate that the separation of powers from the Attorney General and an end to the unchecked nature of his decisions cannot remain any longer in the drawers of the Legal Affairs Committee, where they have been for a year now. Alma will take the lead in promoting the relevant constitutional amendments.”

The Alma Movement concludes by stating that “the primary responsibility for ensuring accountability for the ‘Mafia State’ lies with the President of the Republic, since the Authority’s findings are already before the Council of Ministers. We have outlined the path that, in our view, ensures an impartial and objective investigation. The lies are over. Let everyone now take responsibility.”