AKEL launched a scathing attack on the Presidency over the investigative findings in the Videogate case, accusing it of an “unashamed whitewash” and renewing its demand for the full report to be made public.
In a statement, the party said the tone and wording of the criminal investigator’s announcement, and above all what it described as the unsubstantiated exoneration of two close associates of President Nikos Christodoulides, defied common sense.
AKEL argued that the investigator had effectively acted as a government spokesperson and revived concerns over a potential conflict of interest related to the government’s recent reappointment of Andreas Paschalides as head of the independent authority that examines complaints against the police force for a third term.
According to the statement, the disputed video shows two associates of President Christodoulides making references which, AKEL claims, point to “black political money” and to a mechanism through which major business interests are served by the Presidency.
The party accused the government of trying to convince citizens that the case gives rise to neither criminal nor political or ethical responsibilities. It further claimed that the President of the Republic continues “the cover-up practices of his predecessor”.
Concluding, AKEL said the government was “mistaken” if it believed the matter had been settled by the findings and again demanded that the full report be released, citing transparency and the public interest.
