The Supreme Court will announce its decision on Wednesday morning regarding the preliminary objection of Auditor General Odysseas Michaelides in the case registered by Attorney General George Savvides for his dismissal for inappropriate behavior.
The Attorney General has accused the Auditor General of behaving obsessively towards certain institutional heads, specifically those in the Legal Service. The Auditor General has meticulously gathered and declared every detail regarding these heads, even involving his own son and sister. This has raised questions about bias and whether the Auditor General is trying to discredit them out of envy for their honesty and integrity. There are also questions about the Auditor General’s motives and whether he is seeking to capitalize on the popularity of the Legal Service duo.
Attorney General George Savvides has filed a bid to dismiss Auditor General Odysseas Michaelides before the Supreme Constitutional Court, citing “inappropriate behavior” including public disputes, social media activity, and handling of complaints. The application references high-profile cases and controversies, with Michaelides’ legal team planning to call prominent figures for testimony. The Attorney General claims that Michaelides’ clashes are driven by ulterior motives, causing doubts about his integrity. Michaelides’ defenders argue that his role requires expressing differing opinions and dispute allegations of misconduct.
Three judges of the Supreme Constitutional Court, including the current president, previously participated in a case involving the dismissal of a state official for inappropriate behavior. Two lawyers of the Auditor General also have experience in a similar case, as they represented the former Attorney General. The current Deputy Attorney General may be a witness in the process, as one of the issues raised concerns a complaint against him. Two large law firms will represent the Attorney General in the legal battle, one of which has ties to a former judge who prepared a report on the state official in the previous case.
– The attorney-general filed a case at the supreme court for the auditor-general’s sacking on the grounds of inappropriate behavior.
– The auditor-general, Odysseas, is confident in his innocence and believes the truth will prevail.
– The president’s stance in the affair is compared to that of Caiaphas from religious knowledge.
– The former president is filing a libel suit seeking damages over corruption allegations.
– The plan to prevent organized crime did not have the desired results.
– An opinion poll showed the most popular Disy candidate for the European Parliament elections was Loucas Fourlas.
The Attorney General of Cyprus has filed a petition to the Supreme Constitutional Court seeking the dismissal of Auditor General Odysseas Michaelides for inappropriate conduct. This legal battle will involve top legal professionals and is based on a regulatory provision from 2021. The case is unique as there is limited case law on requests for dismissal due to inappropriate behavior, with the only previous case involving former Deputy Attorney General Rikkos Erotocritou, who was criminally convicted. The Constitution does not clearly define what constitutes inappropriate behavior for the dismissal of officials at this level of constitutional protection. The Auditor General has 21 days to file an objection to the request for dismissal, and if the case reaches a hearing, old cases handled by the Legal Service will be brought up, with witnesses called to testify.
A request for the suspension of the Auditor General is expected to be filed with the Supreme Constitutional Court by the legal team of the Attorney General. The request is based on the complaint that the Auditor General exceeded his powers, which is not considered inappropriate behavior. The decision to suspend an independent state official must be initiated by the President of the Republic, according to the Trifonos case. The Attorney General does not have the authority to make such requests.
Fact: There is speculation that the Attorney-General George Savvides will submit a request to the supreme court to have Auditor-General Odysseas Michaelides removed from his post for inappropriate behavior.
A former senior police officer is trying to stop disciplinary proceedings against him, which began in 2021 after 11 officers filed complaints about his behavior. Despite the ongoing hearing, the officer’s retirement prompted a request to discontinue the proceedings, citing legislation that prohibits civilian prosecution for police disciplinary offenses. The Disciplinary Committee plans to continue the process but is waiting for the prosecuting authority’s official position on the legal challenge.