Ionas: No cover-up for the collapse of the economy

No attempt is made to cover up or conceal any crimes and responsibilities arising from the banking crisis and these reports are at least unacceptable and non-existent, said in a written statement the Minister of Justice and Public Order Ionas Nikolaou.

Mr. Nikolaou notes that the team, which has been formed in the Police and consists of the most experienced investigators of the Corps, performs an important task, with the aim of gathering the required material and documenting each case under investigation.

"In the context of this effort, both the Attorney General and the Legal Service, as well as the Police make every effort to adequately investigate and substantiate these cases, so the accountability, because no one was summoned for questioning, is at least unfortunate. ", He adds.

"Unaware or unaware," he said, "before any suspect - whether a banker or anyone else involved in the investigated offenses - is called in for questioning, investigators must first gather all the necessary evidence to they may cross-examine any testimony or report with the evidence and / or evidence already available to them ”.

Mr. Nikolaou notes that "this practice, followed in any case, in all cases under investigation, allows investigators to distinguish cases where the person does not reveal the truth and I wonder why they insist on calling someone to testify, when it is certain that the answer will be that given recently for the Uniastrum case to the Parliamentary Committee on Institutions ".

"I repeat, once again, that the requirement to summon someone to testify can not be determined by anyone's eagerness, nor by any actions of impression or expediency, but must be done to serve the investigative work and this is decided by the investigators and the Attorney General ", says the Minister of Justice.

He also states that "attempts to assign political responsibilities to the Minister of Justice and Public Order are not only rejected as unacceptable, but are submissive and unfounded, since as is well known the only issue involving the Ministry concerns the submission of requests for legal assistance to the respective authorities of other countries. for the execution of which the competent Minister took steps to his counterparts for their promotion ".

Mr. Nikolaou characterizes as inaccurate and malicious any reports about his interventions, in order to hinder or delay the work of the investigating authorities, which, as he states, “exploit the impatience of the Cypriot people to take responsibility for the collapse of the economy "without taking into account the proper procedures that must be followed to substantiate such a serious case".

Source: KYPE