If their mere presence in these positions creates a Gordian knot of disability for the justice system itself, what else is the President waiting for to take action?
In any other position in the civil service—or even in the private sector— if an employee claimed an inability to perform their duties, they would be removed from their position immediately. Imagine a minister telling the President of the Republic that he cannot handle a serious issue because he is unable to do so. Or, an ordinary employee telling his boss that he cannot perform his duties for personal reasons.
In Cyprus today, we are witnessing a phenomenon unprecedented anywhere in the world: two of the state’s highest-ranking officials declaring their inability to perform their duties. With the even more troubling justification that this inability is related to their objectivity and impartiality. The Attorney General’s reference to his “personal relationship and friendship with former President Nicos Anastasiades,” meanwhile, now borders on the absurd.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
All of this creates a tangled web of paralysis that prevents state mechanisms from functioning in such a serious case. Messrs. Savvidis and Angelidis pass the buck to the “Prosecutors’ Council,” which in turn passes it on to the Cabinet and the Police, and the whole thing reaches a dead end that paints the picture of a banana republic where everyone does—or doesn’t do—whatever they want. All of this boils down to two people: Messrs. Savvidis and Angelidis. They remain in their positions regardless of whether they admit an inability to perform their duties, thereby paralyzing the entire Legal Service, of which they are the heads.
Any rational person, faced with such a situation, would show a modicum of sensitivity and step down to facilitate the work of the state they are supposed to serve. In the final analysis, if the Attorney General and his Deputy are unable to initiate the legal proceedings required by this case, what role do they play in the Legal Service? And if their mere presence in these positions creates a Gordian knot of paralysis within the justice system itself, what else is the President waiting for to take action?
Regardless of the outcome of this specific case—with the appointment of criminal investigators, a public prosecutor, and whatever else we may need to untangle this knot— a major political (and not only political) issue arises here. We have a Attorney General who publicly and officially admits that his judgment is influenced—or could be influenced—by personal relationships and friendships! To what extent might this “taint” cases he has handled or will handle in the future?
Under the Constitution, there is no way to remove the Attorney General from office. Neither the President, who appoints him, has this right, nor can any other body initiate such proceedings. Therefore, the only way to address this situation—which is further undermining our institutions—is for Messrs. Savvidis and Angelidis to demonstrate sensitivity and immediately submit their resignations. Otherwise, they give the impression of two men clinging to their seats who are indifferent to everything happening around them. If this is the image they choose to project of themselves, that is their right. At the same time, however, it is an insult to those who elected them and to the state they have undertaken to serve.
