In the second part of his interview with the newspaper "Phileleftheros", the Auditor General, Odysseas Michailidis, admits that his ministers are calling and complaining, which he considers legitimate. He notes that his relationship with some ministers "is good to excellent, with others it seems that it is not so good".
As for the deputies? There are some answers that "send negative messages to me".
He states that since the day he took office as head of the Audit Office, he has lost friends, in the sense that some saw him dealing with issues in their field and even criticizing them.
He reveals that there are cases when some people approached him seeking to become his friend because of the position he holds.
What is your relationship with the parties? Do you feel that because there is a fear in each party individually to be controlled at some stage, do they distance themselves or treat you critically?
From time to time some disagreements arise in the handling of some cases, but this is to be expected and perfectly legitimate. I can say that there is cooperation with the parties and in some cases their attitude is also helpful to the work of the Audit Office.
In fact, my relationship with some parties can even be described as excellent. After all, the parties themselves have passed legislation that allows the Audit Office to control their finances. I think this is in their honor.
What is your relationship with the Members of Parliament?
There are MPs with whom I have excellent cooperation but there are also those who send negative messages towards me. I must say, there are MPs in whose face I do not see a positive attitude towards me. But this is not strange either.
What is the relationship of the Auditor General with the ministers?
With some it is good to excellent, with others it seems that it is not so good. I must say that this is not a criterion for action for me either.
I feel better if my relationship with a minister is good but I can not do my job properly, simply because there is a possibility that my relationship with him will deteriorate.
After all, let us not forget that I am an auditor and their ministries are audited and usually every auditor treats the auditor with some skepticism, which stems from the role of each. Therefore, my own effort is to feel that I have the opportunity for a telephone communication for consultation purposes, if necessary, and I believe that this exists with all ministers.
Did a minister call to tell you "Odysseus, are you pressuring us, etc."?
In a good way and without any attempt to intervene, yes, there have been phone calls from ministers. I have had some complaints from ministers that "this intervention of yours tied our hands", which is a legitimate approach by a minister. I try to explain that there is always a way for someone to do their job legally, and where I am asked I express my opinion.
It is not possible to assume that we can not carry out a project without breaking the law. The law is a tool and not an obstacle.
There were also cases when a minister called me and said friendly: "Odysseus, with your intervention I can not implement the project." My attempt is to suggest alternative ways, if my opinion is sought, although that is not my role.
After you took over, did you find that some people with whom you had no relationship were trying to become your friends and, on the other hand, some who were your friends walked away when you checked them out?
Let me start with the second and say, "unfortunately yes". There are people I considered, and still consider, my friends and I have a good image of them, who after some incidents were not very happy when our audit revealed some problems in their departments. This is the price of the position of Auditor General.
As for the first part, it is my view, and it does not only concern me, that whoever acquires public power or economic power in the private sector should otherwise see those who approach him as friends, after he has taken up his post, or acquired this power, in relation to those who had been his friends before.
When you have no power and someone is your friend, you are sure that he has pure motives. When this happens then he may have pure motives, but he may not, so you need to be more cautious and use more sieves before considering yourself a friend.
Were there times when you felt that someone was seeking to become your friend after you took over?
Yes, there are such cases, although I am not a person who easily creates relationships, due to the profession. Obviously there are remarkable people you know after you take on some tasks and who are happy to come into your life.
In general, however, my personal relationships do not affect my duties. The obligation to impartial duties is very high in my conscience. This is why, as I explained earlier, people with whom I have had a very good relationship for years may complain about some of our tests and findings.
In practice, there is no possibility that a colleague will bring me a research that leads somewhere and I will intervene to differentiate the result in order to favor the one being controlled due to friendship or other special relationship.
In any case, whether it concerns a friend or an acquaintance or a stranger, I can say to him: "Look at this aspect as well", I can change something if I consider that our findings are not sufficiently substantiated, but never for non-objective reasons. I am always ready to explain to each citizen individually the rationale of any of my decisions.
No krypton under the Sun. This is important for all those in power to remember. This is why, as I said before, I do not feel vulnerable to any intimidation.
Source: Liberal