Paphos municipal authorities have asked the Auditor General to examine roughly a decade of the city’s affairs — a move that widens the net around suspended Mayor Phedonas Phedonos well beyond the criminal investigations already under way.
The approach to Auditor General Andreas Papakonstantinou was made over the weekend following Phedonos’s suspension on 5 February, according to a well-placed source confirmed through official channels.
Authorities asked him to review all matters in the public domain concerning the municipality’s activities over the past ten years.
Papakonstantinou confirmed the approach. “Yes, the matter of Paphos Municipality concerns us seriously and we will look into it,” he said.
While he declined to elaborate, the review is expected to cover financial management, planning matters, contracts, public works and other significant decisions taken by the municipality.
The timing will depend on the scheduling of an audit team currently engaged in reviews of other local authorities, sources said.
Turkish Cypriot properties and demolitions
Phedonos led a series of demolitions across Paphos, citing unauthorised construction and the irregular allocation of Turkish Cypriot properties to non-refugees — moves that sparked confrontations with residents and accusations of overreach from MPs.
Excavators operated at demolition sites as residents protested, while MPs from several parties accused the mayor of exceeding his authority and mismanagement.
The Auditor General is expected to examine the planning developments that followed those operations, along with their background and related matters.
The Marathounta landfill
The Marathounta landfill has dogged Phedonos’s tenure for years. A former employee publicly alleged he was unlawfully dismissed — a termination Phedonos carried out in his capacity as chairman of the Paphos Household Waste Management Council, citing information placed before that council.
The former employee, who is reported to have taken legal action, also alleged poor practices regarding recyclable materials, failure to meet obligations under funding arrangements, and medical waste ending up at the site.
The landfill made headlines in late July when a fire broke out there. The head of the Paphos Regional Organisation, Charalambos Pittokopitis, said the site had once again proved to be a weak link for large fires in the wider area.
Criminal investigations under wraps
Police are pressing ahead with criminal investigations into the suspended mayor but are keeping details tightly under wraps to avoid contaminating the inquiry.
Investigators are looking into a sexual abuse allegation made against Phedonos by businessman Theodoros Aristodemou, taking statements from individuals who held public positions and were reportedly informed of an alleged incident dating to 2014, according to sources.
Police chief Themistos Arnaoutis has taken personal charge of the investigation to ensure its quality, with investigators drawn from different units of the force to keep the inquiry insulated from outside influence.
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