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Outcomes of legal appeals filed by the NTA Governor
In May 2026, the National Transparency Authority (NTA) was notified of the following disciplinary decisions, which were issued following appeals filed by the Authority’s Governor. These decisions were made by the relevant Disciplinary Boards for civil servants, in accordance with Governor’s legal obligations.
Specifically:
1st Case:
In 2022, the NTA Governor appealed to the Disciplinary Board for First (Municipalities) and Second (Regions) Level Local Government Employees. As a result, a municipal employee was subjected to the disciplinary penalty of demotion by one grade for issuing a false certificate.
The employee in question, without having the relevant authority, processed a request for the assessment of trees on properties. This request had been submitted by a citizen who was not the owner of the properties. It explicitly stated that a certificate was being requested for judicial use.
Specifically, the employee conducted an on-site inspection and examination of the properties in question, without first following any procedure to summon and ensure the in-person presence of the landowner or another authorised party, and without gathering the information necessary for issuing the certificate (maps, plot coordinates, etc.).
He then drafted a document in which he falsely certified that (a) he had conducted an on-site inspection in the presence of the applicant and a representative of the local community, and (b) he had recorded the trees, which showed that a certain number and type were being cultivated and that no fruit trees were being cultivated.
The aforementioned falsely certified facts had legal consequences, as the issued certificate was used in a criminal trial and led to the acquittal of the applicant and his relatives on charges related to the presence of fruit trees on the properties.
Following an initial review, the Mayor decided to impose a written reprimand as a disciplinary penalty. This was considered particularly lenient in light of the gravity of the actions in question. Consequently, the ΝΤΑ Governor filed an appeal.
2nd Case:
Following an appeal filed by the ΝΤΑ Governor before the Joint Primary Disciplinary Board, an employee was dismissed from the civil service for the offence of unjustified absence from duty.
Specifically, the employee, operating as a contractor, signed a project contract with the Research Committee President of the Special Account for Research Funds of a University for the execution of a project within the framework of a research programme. He then submitted a request to his employer (public service) for scientific reasons leave, stating that he was unable to report to work due to his involvement in a research programme. He subsequently submitted a new request, asking for permission to engage in paid private project to work on the research project.
Prior to receiving the necessary approval from his public service, he voluntarily absented himself from his duties for a period of approximately four months, citing an inability to perform his duties due to a project assigned to him by another organisation. Due to his absence, he was summoned by his disciplinary superior to explain his conduct regarding the offence of unjustified absence during the aforementioned period. Despite being summoned to provide an explanation, he declined to resume his duties and maintained his absence.
While the disciplinary case was pending, the Civil Service Council unanimously voted against granting paid leave during his regular working hours. However, following a decision by the Ministry's Secretary General, leave was granted to the employee facing disciplinary proceedings for training purposes.
The employee's disciplinary supervisor, citing the decision of the Secretary General, which retrospectively validated the employee's absence from duty, absolved the employee of the disciplinary offence attributed to them. This was due to their unjustified absence from the performance of their duties for sixty-eight (68) days.
The NTA Governor has filed an objection to the acquittal decision, considering the employee's acquittal to be unlawful.
Following a thorough review, NTA has issued an audit order to ascertain the legality of granting the employee leave for training purposes, thereby supporting the grounds for the objection. The audit established that this leave was not lawful, as it was granted without meeting the conditions set out in Article 59 of the Civil Service Code regarding leave for scientific or training purposes. The recommendations of the Audit Report called for the retroactive revocation of this decision.
The Secretary General implemented the aforementioned recommendation and revoked the unlawful decision granting leave for training purposes. The Primary Disciplinary Board, which examined the objection filed by the NTA Governor, after considering the revocation of the aforementioned act, concluded that there was no lawful reason justifying the employee's absence from duty. The penalty of permanent dismissal was unanimously imposed.