Today, Stefanos Stefanou, the General Secretary of AKEL, sent an open letter to President Nikos Christodoulides about a controversial video on social media.
In the letter, AKEL claims the President is covering up instead of addressing the issue. They warn that his actions make him partly responsible for any potential crimes. The letter stresses that this matter affects the public interest and undermines the rule of law, raising serious concerns about illegal activities.
Here’s the full letter to President Nikos Christodoulides:
“Mr. President,
We are writing to you publicly because the scandal surrounding the controversial video is a major public interest issue. It has moral implications and raises questions about illegal actions that harm the rule of law.
I regret to say that your response to this scandal can be seen in two ways: either you don’t grasp how serious this is, which is troubling for your position, or you accept unacceptable practices. Either way, your response falls short of what we expect and contradicts your promises to fight corruption.
As AKEL, we must loudly declare that no cover-up will succeed because society is too suspicious to let it happen. The claim that the video is due to hostile actions by “foreign hands” has been used before, during the “golden passports” scandal. This claim not only failed to convince but also damaged Cyprus’s reputation internationally.
Your approach of covering up instead of addressing the corruption that unfortunately exists in Cyprus puts our country at risk. You bear significant responsibility for this since a President’s primary duty is to protect our nation and its reputation. Instead of doing this, you seem to be going in the opposite direction.
You also have a big responsibility, Mr. President, to maintain the dignity of your office as entrusted by the people.If you allow close associates – even your Office Director – to involve you in decisions and actions outside political ethics, you harm the institution. Furthermore,you become partly responsible for any potential offenses, even criminal ones, especially now that you know what’s happening on your behalf. Normally, you should have already dismissed your Office Director and worked on abolishing the Fund, chaired by your wife, revealing its donors, and consistently pushing for action from relevant authorities. This is what anyone who truly wants to distance themselves would do.
Mr. President,
History tests us all during tough times. You sought the presidency and were elected because you promised something new. Sadly, your actions show that you are just repeating old practices,like avoiding political responsibility , covering up scandals , and enjoying impunity .
Your responsibilities as President are institutional , political , and personal . If you really want to leave office with clean hands , as you have sometimes claimed , you still have a chance . The choice is yours : confront corruption or align with it ? Society is watching . History will remember . “
