Police have intensified their investigation into public tenders for firefighting aircraft, with authorities now examining bank accounts of officials involved in procurement contracts since 2017, sources close to the investigation said.
The probe, underway since late January, has expanded to include financial aspects of contracts between the Department of Forests and companies leasing helicopters and aircraft for forest firefighting operations.
Investigators from the Police Headquarters Crime Fighting Unit have reasonable suspicions that bribes were paid by companies bidding for state contracts to public officials, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The officials under investigation, though not currently charged, allegedly played a decisive role in evaluating and awarding tenders to specific business entities, the source told philenews.
A recent contract for two firefighting helicopters over three years exceeded €14.5 million; an indication of the substantial sums involved in such agreements.
However, authorities clarified this particular contract is not part of the current investigation, which covers the previous 7-8 years.
At least eight individuals are currently at the centre of the police inquiry, including three civil servants and five others connected to them.
Simultaneously, investigators are scrutinising the role of four business entities, having expanded their probe to examine more than 30 tenders related to aerial firefighting services.
As part of the investigation, authorities have executed several search warrants, seizing documents and electronic devices including computers that are undergoing forensic examination.
The volume of evidence collected from witness statements and seized items is substantial, making it impossible to estimate when the police investigation will conclude.
No arrest warrants have been issued thus far, with authorities handling the case in a manner that avoids contaminating the investigative process or necessitating detention orders.
The suspected offences include abuse of power, corruption, and conspiracy to commit a felony—crimes that carry lengthy prison sentences upon conviction.
The criminal investigation follows an administrative inquiry ordered by Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou after she received a written complaint.
The minister had initiated procedures to investigate allegations related to the Department of Forests, which falls under her ministry’s competencies.
Following the completion of the Agriculture Ministry’s investigation, findings were forwarded to the Law Office and subsequently to the police.
Law enforcement officials identified potential criminal liability for three officials, who have been suspended pending the completion of the police investigation to prevent interference with the probe.
A January 22 statement from the Agriculture Ministry confirmed that “police have begun a criminal investigation based on findings from an administrative inquiry into the procedures followed in a tender by the Department of Forests for aerial firefighting equipment”.
The ministry noted that the administrative investigation, ordered by Minister Panayiotou following a written complaint, covered all contracts (leases, maintenance, etc.) from 2017 onwards to identify actions or omissions that might constitute disciplinary or criminal offences.
Meanwhile, the Agriculture Ministry has clarified that Cyprus currently has four primary aircraft available, with six more expected to be added shortly, plus an existing Department of Forests aircraft.
“We are on schedule with our planning. By May, we will have 11 aircraft available as planned,” a ministry official stated.
The ministry is currently awaiting decisions from the Treasury Department (the contracting authority) regarding the contract for two Kamov helicopters, which is being challenged in the Administrative Court. HELI COMPANY s.r.o., a bidder, took legal action on Monday seeking to suspend and cancel the contract with the successful tenderer, alleging improprieties in the evaluation committee’s process.
