Evie Andreou
More than a hundred cases of corruption and abuse of power in public service have been reported to Transparency International Cyprus in the last 15 days, the non-governmental-organisation (NGO) announced yesterday.
“Until yesterday noon we had received more than 130 reports and of those we consider 102 to be cases of corruption,” Nicolas Nicolaides, executive manager of the NGO said on CyBC radio.
He said that the cases concern abuse of power and bribes in local government and government departments.
“A bribe is what people know as payments under the table, for example in order for someone’s affairs to be sorted out they have to pay money; this is bribery,” Nicolaides said.
He added that even though people assume that bribes more often occur in the health sector and at the land registry, such cases numbered only one or two.
Nicolaides said that as soon as the group receives a report, it is evaluated by a legal team and the next day they already know if the case reported is corruption or not.
He added that citizens are informed either way and they are advised on how to proceed.
“People have started to wake up and are now coming forth to talk to authorities and organisations beyond Transparency International Cyprus,” Nicolaides said.
Source: cyprus-mail
