Any announcement on EPPO investigation into Vasilikos contract would have been considered interference, President says

If we were to announce something about the LNG terminal project in Vasilikos ahead of the European Public Prosecutor Office's (EPPO) announcement, it might have been considered interference, President, Nikos Christodoulides has said.

President Christodoulides was replying to journalists' questions on the matter upon his arrival at an AHEPA event in Larnaca on the evening of 25 July.

Asked whether the Republic of Cyprus intends to carry out its own investigation he replied, "No, there is an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor's Office."

"And because I hear and see various things about why we didn't announce it, the investigation is being carried out by the European Public Prosecutor's Office. If we were to announce anything before the European Public Prosecutor's Office, it might be considered interference on the part of the Republic of Cyprus," he explained.

He stated that it is for this reason that the announcement was made on Thursday, immediately after the announcement of the European Public Prosecutor's Office.

"We support the research that is being done in relation to the specific licensing, with the management that was done after ETYFA. It is a very important issue, a very important challenge that we have undertaken to manage this very difficult situation. And depending on the findings, there may be other negative developments in relation to how the EU supported this particular project," he said.

Replying to a journalist's remark that after his statement that the project should not have been given to the consortium to which it was given, he was criticised by opposition party AKEL the President said that "it is a shame that AKEL did not know that the decision on licensing did not go through the Council of the Ministers."

He explained that the project was managed by the Natural Gas Infrastructure Company (ETYFA), a company that was created under the Natural Gas Public Company (DEFA).

"With full respect to all political parties, they can criticize me every day, I take into account criticism from everyone, but what I care about at the end of the day is the bottom line. And that's what I focus on," he said.

Also read: Cyprus government in full cooperation with EPPO on Vasilikos LNG terminal investigation

(Source: CNA)