Official: More transparency needed for Cyprus judiciary

NICOSIA, Cyprus – A European anti-corruption body is urging Cyprus' judges to draw up a detailed code of conduct that spells out specific rules on key issues like when they should recuse themselves in order to avoid perceptions of bias or conflict of interest.

Martin Mrcela, chief of the Council of Europe's Group of States against Corruption, also urged more transparency in judges' appointments based on publicly available criteria.

Mrcela says a body overseeing judges' appointments should be more inclusive so that it doesn't reflect the Supreme Court's composition. Career-long ethics and corruption prevention training for judges should also be enacted.

The recommendations made Friday came after Cyprus' attorney general suggested that judges' links to a law firm that handled cases involving the country's biggest bank created the impression of skewed rulings.