Different positions were expressed in the Parliamentary Committee on Institutions at the start of the debate on the amendment bill submitted by the government, which provides for the exemption of the chair and members of the Advisory Council from the asset declaration requirement (“where did you get it from”). DIKO and ELAM supported the proposed amendment, AKEL expressed its disagreement, while Alma and Direct Democracy voiced reservations.

Outlining the background of the issue, the Chairman of the Committee on Institutions and DISY MP, Dimitris Dimitriou, stated that in February 2025 he received a letter from the Chairman of the Advisory Council, Doro Ioannides, in which he raised the issue of exempting Council members from the obligation to submit a “source of wealth” declaration.

“I took the initiative and introduced a bill. The bill was debated and brought before the Plenary, where it was resoundingly rejected in May 2025,” he noted.

“In 2026, the executive branch resubmitted the bill, and we are here to discuss it,” added Mr. Dimitriou.

Faidra Gregoriou, spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice, stated that the basic law “imposes an obligation on officials and public figures to submit a declaration of assets”.

As she noted, “officials covered by both annexes of the law must submit an electronic declaration to the three-member council within four months of assuming or leaving office.”

He went on to state that the bill provides for criminal offenses when officials fail to submit a declaration or when they submit a false declaration.

He noted that among the individuals listed in Annex 1 of the law are the President and the members of the advisory council.

“The council’s role is advisory, not decision-making,” she said, adding that they believe the Chair and members of the advisory council should not be subject to the provisions of the law. 

The same position was expressed by the representative of the Legal Service, Elena Symeonidou, who stated that “the Chair and the members of the advisory council must be exempt from the provisions of the law.”

“The Advisory Council has no executive powers,” noted Tax Commissioner Sotiris Markidis.

The proposed amendment to the law clearly seeks “the application of the principle of proportionality.” “The level of accountability is not affected. This should not be viewed as a step backward in terms of transparency,” said the spokesperson for the Deputy Minister to the President.

“At the moment, we are a two-member committee because one of the three members resigned some time ago. Doros Ioannidis remains the chair,” said Ioannis Zevlaris, a member of the three-member council, which is responsible for reviewing the submission of asset declarations.

He explained that individuals are divided into two categories under the law. “The advisory council is listed in the first appendix, and its members submit their asset declarations electronically; none of these are published.”

“In the second annex, which includes the most prominent individuals, they submit their statements of assets in paper form, and only the member’s portion of the statement is published—not those of their family or dependents. The paper form is sent to the Tax Commissioner for review,” he said.

“Declarations submitted electronically in Appendix 1 are not sent to the Tax Commissioner,” clarified Mr. Zevlaris.

A spokesperson for the Deputy Ministry of Research and Innovation noted that the computerized system went live on February 28 and is operating without any major issues.

“I agree with the representatives of the Ministry of Justice and the Legal Service regarding the need to amend the law,” said the Chairman of the Advisory Council, George Arestis.

“The role of the advisory council is purely consultative. The Council of Ministers may choose not to follow the advisory council’s recommendations,” he added.

The President of the Cyprus Bar Association, Michalis Vorkas, stated that “the principle of proportionality is a major issue that gives us the freedom to show certain fellow citizens—who are distinguished by their integrity—the appropriate level of tolerance, so that they may, through their example, convey the right messages to society.”

“I, too, focus on the principle of proportionality. The advisory council has no executive authority. We, too, agree with the amendment to the law,” said Andreas Papadatos, Director General of the Cyprus Institute of Certified Public Accountants (CICPA).

“How would the average citizen understand the fact that the advisory council would not set the threshold for asset declarations?” asked Diana Konstantinidi, a member of parliament for Direct Democracy.

“I raise the question of whether the principle of proportionality might be tilting toward the other side—the one related to transparency—and what we can do to further strengthen it,” she added.

“We do not hesitate to say that we may have lost our way somewhere in the translation,” noted DIKO President Nikolas Papadopoulos.

“It was not our intention for the advisory council that proposes candidates for semi-governmental organizations to be subject to the same asset declaration procedure established by that specific law,” he said. 

“The advisory council is a consultative body with no executive authority. This error must be corrected, and we believe the bill should be brought forward for a vote,” he concluded.

“I see no reason for these individuals to be subjected to this process. I agree that the bill should proceed to the Plenary for a vote,” said ELAM MP Marios Pelekanos.

Alma Movement MP Irini Charalambidou stated that if the Cabinet rejects the advisory committee’s recommendation, it must provide a statement of reasons.

“I want an answer, given that the Cabinet must justify its decision. We’ve seen and suffered from appointments in this country. All these issues should have been codified into law,” she said.

“The advisory council should have been an institutionally established body with full legislative authority,” he added.

“We believe that the reasons why the House of Representatives decided to include the advisory council in the declaration of assets have not ceased to exist,” said AKEL MP Konstantinos Konstantinou.

“The Cabinet must provide justification if it does not adopt the advisory committee’s recommendations. For us, this reinforces the authority of the advisory committee,” he added. 

“We consider this a matter of principle: since it receives résumés and recommends individuals for key organizations, we see no reason why it should not be subject to the declaration of assets,” concluded Mr. Konstantinou.

“The list is not submitted to the Cabinet; it is adopted as is. For each position, they recommend three times as many candidates,” clarified the spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice, Phaedra Gregoriou.

She also clarified that “the presidents of semi-governmental organizations and their members are subject to the declaration of assets requirement.”

Source: CNA