When the Deputy Attorney General announced through an interview, laying the groundwork for seeking Odysseas Michaelides’ removal from his position as Auditor General on charges of misconduct, few could imagine such charges could be substantiated, given their familiarity with the man’s work and public presence.
When details from the indictment leaked, such as posts by his adult son, it seemed farcical. Yet the removal was achieved, and various legal experts explained, in their characteristic legal thinking and language, that those of us who insist on thinking according to common sense are woefully ignorant of what might await us should we end up in the dock on any charge.
However, Odysseas Michaelides’ removal wasn’t enough to close the matter. What followed (and continues) is the chapter regarding his pension rights. Is he entitled to them or not? And that wasn’t all – one after another, those whose activities had been subject to his audits are now turning to the courts, claiming defamation, professional and moral damage, and general misconduct. This happens even in cases where the published evidence was glaringly obvious – to the common eye, that is, the one guided by common sense. With justice, one never knows what it will see, being blind as it famously is.
In this context, a person who claimed to be something he wasn’t (according to the university whose degree he claimed to hold), and whose secondary school diploma in his file is clearly forged, feels entitled to demand satisfaction. For three years, his case has been dragged here and there (from police investigations to courts), he continues to receive public sector wages, and according to the Attorney General, what he received before the case broke is considered earned income.
Yet Odysseas Michaelides’ pension rights are questioned – a man who, whether one likes him or not, worked tirelessly to expose numerous scandals, irregularities, and mismanagement of public funds. But he was deemed inappropriate. Inappropriate with the court’s seal of approval. Therefore, everyone now feels entitled to demand recompense, having been judged by someone who didn’t fit this state’s prevailing logic and mentalities.
Odysseas Michaelides was tried and convicted, while Yiannakis Yiannaki searches for yet another lawyer, adding more delays to his case’s adjudication.
And we adapt to whatever tune they play for us.