The matter of the golden passports is well known after the Al Jazeera reports we expect there will be more follow-ups.
Certainly, the €7 bln income produced mainly by the real estate for passports to foreign investors did wonders for the Cyprus economic recovery post-2013 and the developers who have benefited and paid their bad debts.
The Banks reduced their NPLs, whereas it was a bonanza for various professional firms (lawyers/accountants/estate agents) with a positive spin-off in job creation.
The question now is how this matter is going to develop with the EU asking questions which might lead Cyprus being dragged through the European courts.
This is quite serious since several development projects including; the Larnaca port/ marina, Ayia Napa marina and that of Protaras, the Famagusta golf course, (Paphos marina still pending ) depend to a large extent on foreign sales.
Those to blame (mainly developers) will get off lightly, whereas most likely, the rest of us will be called upon to pay directly or indirectly, through unemployment and halted projects.
We have suggested through the media that developers and audit firms should be called upon to pay €500,000 for each case that was wrongly processed.
We also suggested that those MPs who misled, caused delays in the approval of the various measures suggested by the Government, pay a penalty for delays in the justice system. But is this possible?
No, but at least it will shake up our MPs on the subject (it took 200 people demonstrating outside the House to get the president of the House to resign).
Al Jazeera will surely continue with new follow-up reports which will most likely be followed by other channels, causing harm to the Cyprus economy.
We are expecting other matters of wrongdoing to become public knowledge.
We expect the first issue will be that of delayed justice, the anarchy that exists in local governance, the Mafia-run local authorities and cover-ups.
We hope that other reports by foreign channels will investigate the power local authorities have in disrupting the recovery of the country.
And the delays in getting a reply from the civil service and the shocking demand of civil servants seeking compensation of €1 bln for infringing their rights to be overpaid.
Yes, this Government has introduced various commissioners most of whom have inherited the civil servants’ attitude of not bothering.
Remember a few years ago, the Property Action Group complained to the E.U. which shook up the public service.
It did not solve the problem of the title deeds, but it did embarrass Cyprus.
Matters still pending are those of the common expenses law and “jobs for the boys” regardless of ability to govern.
We fail to see how such serious matters are not tackled by our MPs who seem to be busy travelling abroad for free whereas new people in politics, such as the last Rector of the Cyprus University, failed to set up a “clean” party.
For the obvious reasons of nepotism, whereas the lack of support by the local journalists and indifference allows the situation to fester.
Can we hope to correct this sick state of affairs ourselves? We say no and from now on we will have to depend on foreign channels to help(!!).
Should we report the missed wrongdoings to those foreign channels if we are to be asked? We are now having some thoughts on the subject since the provocation is too much to tolerate.
The root of all wrongdoings is the quality of our MPs. We have suggested that those wanting to participate in an election should be vetted by the Cyprus University for their ethical standing and knowledge.
We can do without the …… “actors” whereas our suggestion to encourage local investigative journalists by offering €100,000 fell on deaf ears as did our proposal for a local “Pulitzer” prize.
