Damianou Defends JCC Deal for e-IDs Amid Scrutiny

The Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Nikos Damianou, defended the awarding of the e-ID contract to JCC during a discussion in the Parliamentary Control Committee.

Members of the Control Committee raised concerns about the direct assignment to JCC, given that Mr. Damianou previously served as the company's General Manager. Mr. Damianou dismissed any suggestion of impropriety, stating that "there is nothing reprehensible, nothing wrong was done."

Auditor General Andreas Papakonstantinou noted that competitive conditions should have been created for the tender, while AKEL MP Christos Christofides raised the issue of intervention by the Council of Ministers.

A representative of the competent service stated that the Council of Ministers has no say in decisions on public contracts. Mr. Damianou explained that the decision of the Council of Ministers was necessary for subsidizing the first 30,000 IDs.

According to the data presented, approximately 7,000 e-IDs have been issued to date.

Zacharias Koulias, Chairman of the Committee, expressed concerns about the subscription cost, while Eirini Charalambidou raised the issue of transparency. Alekos Tryfonidis called for further investigation by the competent authorities.