Auditor-general takes stand as dismissal saga continues

It appears illegal to have a law that stipulates multiple pensions should not be paid but to insist it should be ignored, Auditor-General Odysseas Michaelides told the Supreme Constitutional Court on Tuesday amid the ongoing hearing for his dismissal.

Taking the stand for the second day of cross-examination, the first segment of the hearing dealt with the contentious issue of multiple pensions, which prompted a clash between Michaelides and Attorney-General (AG) George Savvides.

One of the AG’s lawyers, Dinos Kallis, claimed Michaelides had ignored a previous legal opinion by former AG Costas Clerides that was the same as that of the incumbent, focusing only on Savvides as part of an orchestrated attempt to smear him.

Michaelides refuted the allegation, saying that on the contrary, it proved that the issue lay with the opinion irrespective of who it came from.

“The legal opinion of ‘continue to pay (multiple pensions) despite the provision of the law’ is, in my mind, an illegality if the law stipulates (Finance Minister) Makis Keravnos should not be paid a pension and he is,” Michaelides stated.

The dispute stems from allegations that the AG’s opinion that multiple state pensions should be paid benefits the deputy AG, who was formerly a defence minister.

Allegations also flew over the legal fees of both Michaelides and Savvides.

Kallis claimed there was an €18,000 fee that the legal team currently representing Michaelides had accrued for a previous case he privately took to court over his deputy/assistant.

The auditor general, however, rejected the said sum, adding that the lawyers insisted they remain unpaid.

Michaelides is working with lawyers Christos Clerides, George Triantafyllides and Pambos Ioannides.

Kallis stressed Michaelides should have informed or requested permission from the finance ministry, prompting an extensive debate. The auditor-general retorted that it is the AG’s lawyers who will come at an expense to the taxpayer at the moment.

Kallis hit back to say the unpaid legal fees would then constitute a donation to the Republic as Michaelides took the case to court as the auditor-general of the country.

As such, there is a €3,400 tax due that Michaelides did not pay even if he was not charged the legal fees, Kallis added to which Michaelides specified this was for his lawyers to handle.