The government's controversial attempt to reform the Audit Office has backfired, with strong accusations of political interference and constitutional overreach dominating a heated session of the House Legal Affairs Committee.
Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis failed to convince lawmakers of the "pure intentions" behind the proposal to establish an Audit Council — a new oversight body that would, in practice, monitor and guide the work of the Auditor General. MPs, the Auditor General himself, and independent bodies have raised alarm bells, warning that the move threatens the independence of one of the last remaining watchdog institutions in the country.
Audit office under threat?
From the outset, the government’s intention to curb the independence of the Auditor General was clear. The original draft bill submitted by Minister Hartsiotis would have created a supervisory council whose members — appointed by the Cabinet — could oversee, advise, and even challenge the findings and reports of the Auditor General.
The Legal Service flagged the bill as "blatantly unconstitutional", arguing it would effectively render the Auditor General subordinate to a politically-appointed council. As a result, the bill was cosmetically revised, removing overt language pointing to direct interference — but the structure and powers of the proposed council remained largely intact.
Speaking before the parliamentary committee, Auditor General Andreas Papaconstantinou issued a stark warning:
“The author of the bill either does not understand how the Audit Office functions in practice — or is serving political purposes.”
‘Big Brother’ oversight
Papaconstantinou likened the proposed council to a “Big Brother”, suggesting the government wants to place the independent audit authority under political control — precisely because it is one of the few bodies consistently exposing wrongdoing across successive administrations.
Minister Hartsiotis insisted the council would merely serve in an “advisory” capacity. But MPs questioned why taxpayers should fund three full-time officials — each with an estimated salary of €5,000/month — just to provide non-binding advice.
Under the bill:
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The council would consist of two auditors/accountants and one legal expert.
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All members would be appointed by the Cabinet for a single five-year term.
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The council would have the power to examine, question, and make suggestions on the Audit Office’s annual reports, programme, and draft findings.
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It could request documentation from the Auditor General and issue its own annual accountability report.
The Auditor General would be allowed to attend meetings — but without voting rights.
A system with no precedent
Papaconstantinou accused the minister of misleading Parliament by claiming similar oversight structures exist abroad. In reality, he argued, no other country grants an appointed council such authority over an independent audit institution.
“What is being attempted here is to replace decision-making by the Auditor General and Deputy Auditor General with decisions by a Cabinet-appointed council. There is no such system anywhere in the world,” he said.
He also questioned the practicality of oversight, given that the Audit Office’s programme is dynamic and constantly evolving. “So what exactly will they be monitoring?” he asked — receiving no clear answer.
Broader concerns about political interference
The Greens condemned the reform as a “coordinated attempt” to politically neutralise one of the few remaining independent institutions. They warned that the goal was to weaken the Audit Office’s role and turn it into a tool serving partisan interests.
DISY MP Nikos Georgiou warned of a “dual leadership” scenario and instead proposed strengthening internal control mechanisms within the Audit Office and hiring legal advisors to avoid leaks and protect individuals from targeting.
AKEL MP Aristos Damianou criticised the lack of safeguards for impartiality, adding that members of independent authorities should not be political appointees. He cited former President Nicos Anastasiades’ appointment of two of his ministers to lead the Legal Service as a cautionary tale.
Nikos Tornaritis, Chair of the Legal Affairs Committee and a senior DISY figure, openly admitted:
“It’s true — even I am not convinced by the proposed Audit Council.”
He suggested the bill could pass without the provision for creating the council.
Broad support for other reforms
Despite widespread opposition to the Audit Council, there is consensus on two other pillars of the reform package:
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Ensuring financial independence of the Audit Office.
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Setting a fixed eight-year term for both the Auditor General and Deputy Auditor General, without the possibility of reappointment.
The current officeholders will remain in post until they reach retirement age (65), based on their existing terms of appointment.
