Cyprus vows zero tolerance for corruption

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President Nicos Anastasiades said his government is determined to tackle corruption and promote transparency and accountability during a meeting with OSCE Parliamentary Assembly leader Margareta Cederfelt.

Anastasiades informed Cederfelt on the policies implemented by Cyprus to tackle corruption, stressing the government is bolstering its zero-tolerance policy by taking measures, formulating legislation to prevent and combat the phenomenon and developing a National Anti-Corruption Strategy.

He said that through the adoption of laws and reforms promoted in the House of Representatives, such as establishing the Independent Anti-Corruption Authority, the legislative framework for fighting corruption strengthens.

At the same time, they exchanged views on the situation unfolding after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its impact on the global economy.

Anastasiades congratulated the Vice President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and Special Representative for the fight against corruption, Irene Charalambidou, for her initiative to organise an International Anti-Corruption Conference in Cyprus.

According to the 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released by Transparency International, corruption levels remain at a standstill worldwide, with 86% of countries, including Cyprus, making little to no progress in the last ten years.

The CPI ranks 180 countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption from zero or highly corrupt to 100 or very clean.

Cyprus was among a dozen countries at historic lows, scoring 53, while data suggested the score started sliding after the 2013 financial crisis.

The government has also been tainted by its own corruption scandal over the cash for passports scheme it had to scrap in November 2020.