Police and the Larnaca District Local Government Organisation (DLGO) on Friday called for coordinated action at Filanta Court, a five-block apartment complex, over issues regarding tampered meters and illegal occupancy to poor hygiene and dangerous buildings. The problems need a joint response from several authorities, they said.
The complex’s management committee has separately alleged illegal electricity and water connections, unauthorised occupancy and threats against owners.
Larnaca police spokesman Spyros Chrysostomou said officers recently visited the complex with the DLGO and Larnaca Municipality and found very serious hygiene problems, describing the situation as “chaos”. Police also visited with the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC), and he said a holistic solution was needed.
The complex has been declared dangerous by the DLGO. On May 27, three people jumped from the third floor to avoid arrest during an operation by the Aliens and Immigration Unit. One of them, a foreign national, suffered serious head injuries and died, and the other two were injured.
What police found
Chrysostomou said the committee and individual owners had complained to the police from time to time, and that the complaints under examination concern interference with water and electricity meters. Police carry out operations targeting people staying in Cyprus illegally, he said, the most recent being the May 27 operation.
Who is responsible
DLGO President Angelos Hadjicharalambous said the problems had been recorded repeatedly. The DLGO had dealt with the dangerous buildings within its remit, he said, and is awaiting an update from the committee’s private engineer on the work needed to lift the dangerous-building status.
He said illegal occupation or letting, electricity theft, and access to the buildings or access being blocked were not matters for the DLGO. On water theft, he said the DLGO had dealt with earlier cases and would carry out a new campaign if the problem continued. His initial assessment is that the theft is between private individuals, which makes it a police matter requiring a formal complaint.
He said the police, the Land Registry, Larnaca Municipality and the DLGO should each act within their remit, including on nuisance and whether more people are living in the flats than should be, to find a lasting solution.
The allegations
The committee alleges that flats are occupied under forged, invalid or illegal tenancy agreements, and that third parties are collecting rent without owners’ consent. It said there were signs that money from illegal activities was being laundered through that rent. It also alleges illegal trading in electricity and water, and says the EAC found the illegal power connections dangerous.
Owners say they have received threats from people who “shout and intimidate tenants”, and the committee has filed a police complaint against specific individuals. It said the owners’ protest is not directed at any national, racial or religious group.
Phileleftheros has reported on the complex over the past two years, following repeated complaints from residents and neighbours about nuisance and the state of the outdoor areas.
