Three public health sector doctors are facing trial on corruption charges, reports the Cyprus News Agency.

They are named as 60-year-old Yiannaki Kiamides, director of the Nicosia General Hospital; 59-year-old Vaskian Sachpeterian, also at Nicosia General Hospital; and the Larnaca Hospital director of the ear-nose-and-throat department Daphne Aristodemou.

The evidence against them was easy to find - they accepted personal cheques for thousands of euros in exchange for using their positions to schedule operations.

It is the latest in a long line of scandals striking at the state’s credibility and reliabilty, as the authorities have changed their approach to what were previously seen as society’s most powerful ‘sacred cows’ - civil servants, doctors, bankers, and MPs.

Bribes disguised as donations to political parties in exchange for lucrative state contracts; fake invoices for services not rendered; hyper-inflated prices for land purchases by semi-government organisations; all orchestrated by a ring of corrupt public servants and private companies willing to do anything to win the contract and get their greedy hands on public funds. Conflicts of interest abound; lawyers who are lawmakers in the House of Representatives but still have their law firms (what could possibly go wrong?!); extreme nepotism in which close family members get jobs in state companies, the list goes on.

The damage to the economy can’t be underestimated, let alone the damage to the public’s trust in the state system.

It sounds old-fashioned, but some measure of integrity still counts. If the state is corrupt, then it has no authority to make and enforce the rules that protect society. Its mandate to govern is completely undermined by the behaviour of these bad apples who are stealing economic resources on a massive scale. After the utter mismanagement of the economy under AKEL, there are efforts to clean things up under Nicos Anastasiades’ administration, but more statements need to be made by the leadership against corruption. Party leaders and those in the executive need to be much more assertive about what’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable in public life.

There needs to be a clear definition of what conflict of interest, nepotism, undue political influence and bribery are, and the consequences.

From now on, there can be no more ‘playing dumb’ about these issues, it has to be clarified once and for all by the executive. Meanwhile, those public servants who really are making a contribution to the state through their good work are getting a bad name because of the corrupt ones, it’s completely unacceptable. The list of blatant corruption scandals exposed in the last two years alone is horrifying.

Millions of Euros in bribes, overcharging in landfill corruption case.

Criminal investigation into 76.5 Million-Euro Helicopter deal, allegations of overcharging.

Second-in-command in state legal services on trial for accepting bribes.

Former CYTA chairman sentenced to eight years for bribes, corruption.

Former Paphos mayor convicted of accepting bribes, corruption.

Bus company providing services to public sector under investigation of corruption.

Former interior minister found guilty of money laundering, accepting bribes.

Employees at electricity authority investigated in purchasing scandal.