Former supreme court judge appointed as ethics adviser to president

Former supreme court judge George Arestis was on Thursday appointed as Special Adviser to the government on matters of ethics, the presidency announced.

President Nikos Christodoulides finalised the appointment which was approved by cabinet in October 2023.

Arestis will offer his services unpaid.

The proposal for the role had been discussed with Greco (Group of States against Corruption), the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body, according to the presidency.

It entails a government proposal to establish an impartial Advisory Council which, following an open invitation procedure, would assess and recommend a list of qualified candidates.

During the first phase of its establishment, the scope of the Advisory Council would cover the appointment of the members the boards of the semi-governmental organisations.