The Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body is calling for more transparency on how judges in Cyprus are appointed while a more stringent code of conduct for MPs is needed.
A compliance report by the GRECO group gave a mixed assessment, saying Cypriot authorities fully implemented only two out of 16 of its recommendations to prevent judicial corruption.
“GRECO notes that further significant material progress is necessary to demonstrate an acceptable level of compliance with the recommendations within the next 18 months,” the report underlines.
The compliance report assesses the measures taken by the authorities of Cyprus to implement the recommendations issued in the Fourth Round Evaluation Report.
It said “specific, objective requirements” on a Judge’s integrity contained in a publicly available document would help increase transparency on such appointments.
The group urged the judicial branch to consider including lower-court judges in a body that’s responsible for the appointment, transfer, promotion and discipline of judges.
It said a code of conduct should be drawn up for judges and called for strengthening the independence of prosecutors.
GRECO also recommended that a code of ethics/conduct for MPs – including their staff – be adopted, covering various situations of conflicts of interest, such as gifts, third party contacts and lobbyists.
Another recommendation suggesting that all forms of remuneration and benefits received from public and private sources by members of parliament be subject to clear rules, adequate auditing and public transparency, has been partly implemented, the report said.
A recommendation to elaborate consistent rules concerning the acceptance by members of parliament of gifts, hospitality and other benefits, also went unheeded.
The anti-corruption body also recommended Cyprus carry out a detailed assessment in respect of various forms of potential third-party impact (including lobbying), and that rules be introduced to prevent the parliamentary process from being tainted.
Although the recommendation has not been implemented, the report notes a study assigned by the House of Representatives to the University of Nicosia on the existence of lobbying in Cyprus.
