The Parliamentary Finance Committee met behind closed doors this afternoon to discuss whether or not to release the funds for replacing the armored vehicle used by the President of the Republic, the Parliamentary Finance Committee, which will announce its decision on the matter at 5:00 p.m., according to KYPE.
In remarks following the closed-door session of the Parliamentary Finance Committee regarding the release of funds from the Ministry of Finance, ELAM MP Marios Pelekanos said that clarifications had been provided regarding the procedure followed, which, as he put it, “is the procedure that has been in place for many, many years.”
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“Therefore, we understood from what has been said that in this case as well, just as in the previous two instances, a specific procedure is being followed,” he added.
Mr. Pelekanos noted that the cost is considered normal when compared to the two previous procedures that took place in 2019 and 2010.
“So it’s a repeat, if you will, of the previous process,” he added.
He noted that the Finance Committee’s decision will be announced this afternoon.
“I am conveying to you the position of the National Popular Front, which was in favor of approving the release of the funds,” he concluded.
Odysseas Michaelides, President of the Alma – Citizens for Cyprus movement, said that regarding the replacement of the armored vehicle used by the President of the Republic, “the most important issue raised concerns the stance of the President of the Republic, who, like a raging bull, vehemently lashed out at Parliament, practically lying by claiming that he was unaware that the Council of Ministers had decided to replace his vehicle.”
“Today’s statements by the Government Spokesperson—that the President was allegedly referring to the vehicle’s technical specifications— only reinforce the impression that the government has no basic respect for the intelligence of its citizens,” he added.
Regarding the substance of the replacement, Mr. Michaelides said that “our position in the Finance Committee was negative.”
“We believe that the techno-economic data, as well as the maintenance costs of the existing system and the previous one—which serves as a backup—in no way justify such a premature replacement,” he added.
He noted that Almat’s position is that “this issue should be reconsidered when the techno-economic data actually justify replacing the vehicle.”
Source: CNA
