The Audit Office has not given up its quest to have the money given to some political parties ahead of the 2021 parliamentary elections returned and re-allocated to parties that were eligible. The amount in dispute is €577,000, but the problem was not caused by the parties but by the Anastasiades government which released the state funds at the start of 2021, the year in which elections were scheduled to be held.
It was a rash decision to which no thought had been given by the government when it allocated the entire year’s grant of €7m to the parties. As a result, the parties that failed to win a single seat, such as the Citizens’ Alliance and Solidarity, were given a full year’s grant which they were not eligible to – according to the Audit Office, the former should return €277,000 and the latter €251,000. Dipa, standing in the elections for the first time, won four seats but received no grant in 2021 because the money had been paid out in advance to existing parties.
The grants are allocated according to the electoral strength of each party, so there were parties that won more seats and were entitled to a bigger grant, like Elam. Others like Diko that ended up with fewer seats and had been overpaid and should have returned €47,000, said the Audit Office. Other parties that were entitled to a higher grant were Disy, Edek and the Greens. Meanwhile, Citizens Alliance no longer exists, having dissolved after the 2021 elections. Solidarity still exists, although it is rarely heard, but its leader Dr Eleni Theocharous had offered to return the overpayment if asked.
For any money to be returned legal action needs to be taken against the parties but nobody seems prepared to do so. The legislature refuses to do so and the attorney-general has also steered clear of the matter, because it is in effect a non-issue as no public money was squandered – it was distributed wrongly, more as consequences of ineptitude rather than corruption. Dipa suffered the worst consequences of this ineptitude while Diko benefited, but it is really not a matter the authorities should be wasting any more time and money on.
It seems strange that the Audit Office, which wants to ensure public money is not wasted, is advocating a course of action that would cost the taxpayer money for no benefit other than to put right a blunder committed three years ago. That state funds were distributed wrongly three years ago is something that we should let ago. There are many more pressing issues that require the urgent attention of the authorities. A bad decision three years ago is not worth pursuing and the Audit Office which is concerned about public funds should let it go.
