Deputy auditor-general demands equal pay with his boss

By Nicholas Theodoulou

The deputy auditor-general has asked for a service car and a hefty pay rise which would almost double his salary, it emerged on Monday.

Kyriakos Kyriakou has said that he should be paid the same as his boss, auditor-general Odysseas Michaelides, and receive the same benefits. Kyriakou has sent a letter to the finance ministry making the request and at the same time filed a complaint with Ombudswoman’s Office.

According to Phileleftheros, Kyriakou is requesting a 42 per cent salary increase which would bring him into line with the auditor-general’s annual gross earnings of €123,088. At present the deputy auditor-general is in the civil service’s A16 pay bracket, with annual gross earnings of €86,624.

The auditor-general is also entitled to a service vehicle, a benefit that Michaelides has voluntarily declined but his assistant has filed a request for. To support his case, Kyriakou cites that the deputy attorney-general has the same pay and benefits as the attorney-general.

According to Phileletheros, however, the request appears unlikely to succeed as Spyros Christou, a former deputy auditor-general, made a similar demand which was unsuccessful.

A supreme court judgment, dated 9/12/1992, states that while the deputy attorney-general is subject to the attorney-general’s instructions, there is a clear provision in the Constitution (Article 112.4) that both are on the same terms. However, in the case of the deputy auditor-general there is no such provision.

The judgement said that “the difference in the payroll of the deputy auditor compared to that of the auditor general is reasonable in view of the increased powers exercised by the auditor-general over them as deputy auditor-general”.

Kyriakou has tried unsuccessfully in the past to upgrade his position by playing with the wording of his title by trying make it appear more senior. The move was supported by Akel and Diko but failed after it was challenged by Disy President Averof Neofytou in parliament. Kyriakou was appointed as deputy auditor-general in January 2013 by former President Demetris Christofias, one month before the presidential election.

 

 

 

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