At the centre of the controversy are the formal qualifications of Makarios Lazaridis when he was hired at the Ministry of Education in 2007, with official documents of the time raising questions about his compliance with the law.
The allegations of «exceptions»
In a television interview on the Open network, Lazaridis was asked to comment on his appointment as Special Scientist in the Office of the Secretary General for Youth. He claimed that a university degree was not necessary for the position in question, while arguing that the Ministry's administration had the possibility to «exempt» candidates from the formal requirements set by law.
What the appointment notice reveals
However, the act of appointment itself invokes a specific legislative framework. According to the FEC (UCD) 81/1-3-2007, the recruitment was based on the Public Recruitment Act:
«By decision No 562/8.2.2007 of the Minister of National Education and Religious Affairs, MAKARIOS LAZARIDIS of the Kingdom, was recruited from 16.1.2007, in an organic position Special Scientist with a private law employment relationship in accordance with the Article 33 par. 2 of Law no. 2190/1994 for the needs of the Office of the Secretary General for Youth of the Ministry of Education and Culture».
The strict criteria of Law 2190/1994
The invocation of the above law creates a contradiction. The legislation (Law 2190/1994) is perfectly clear as to the qualifications required to fill the post of Specialist Scientist, stating explicitly that the candidate must possess:
- Degree or diploma of A.E.I. of the domestic language (or a recognised equivalent in a foreign country).
- Additional qualifications: Either a PhD or a postgraduate degree (at least one academic year) combined with two years of relevant experience.
The incompatibility of the qualification
The crucial question that arises is whether the above legislative requirements were met. At the time of his recruitment, Mr Lazaridis held a degree from the College of Southeastern Europe. That school was operating as Centre for Liberal Studies (CFS), which means that the qualification he provided did not have legal academic recognition as equivalent to a University degree (A.E.I.), leaving his placement in an organic position of Specialist Scientist legally invalid.
