Filenews 22 July 2022 - by Ioanna Mantzipa
The Aeolus bag seems to have been opened by the British Bases Police after the arrest of a 48-year-old Greek Cypriot, an employee of the BB District Administration who is accused of a case of corruption in the public sector, - acceptance of money and services - by various local businessmen who fall within the western areas of the BB.
As "F" is informed, the police investigation will go back several years and specifically from 2010, when the 48-year-old officer took office in a specific office of the District Administration. His role was to supervise and carry out inspections in various premises and businesses and where there were illegalities to proceed with complaints.
From the testimonies so far that the investigators of the Department of Crime Detection of the Northern Bases have in their hands, it appears that the defendant was asking for money and compensation in various ways from businessmen in the area, so that they would not be reported. In fact, from the investigation so far and from the testimonies that have been received, there are cases where, despite the fact that there were glaring illegalities, he "closed his eyes" and did not proceed to an out-of-court or even a summons for the Court.
A typical case is the case of a person who, as "F" is informed, had given the defendant an amount of up to €6,000 in order to avoid the complaint and the Court.
So far, according to the same information, about 50 people have been called to testify, while the complaints number around 7. SBA investigators seem convinced that there are enough persons from whom the 48-year-old took money, so they will carry out on-the-spot investigations in various operations.
Also, the persons who have been reported all this time and whose cases have been brought before the Bases Court will also be investigated. The aim of the investigators is to identify and businessmen who were offered by the 48-year-old for bribery and did not give in.
Under the microscope of the investigators will be placed various new businesses and premises that were either recently built or put into operation and fall within the territory of the BB. The aim of the investigations is to determine whether they were illegally or irregularly granted permits and were not reported for any possible illegalities.
The 48-year-old, after being charged with a total of 7 corruption-related offences, was released the day before yesterday on restrictive terms, paying bail of €10,000.
Serious case says the Bases
In a relevant announcement, the British Bases appeal to local businesses and to anyone who knows and has information about the matter, to contact the telephone Line 1443 or visit the Local Police Station on the M1 street in Kolossi.
For his part, the Police Director of the western areas of BB, Dave Purvis, in a written statement noted that "allegations of this kind are taken very seriously by the BB Police. We are committed to tackling corruption and uprooting any 'rotten apples' from the BB." In conclusion, the British Bases note that this is a very serious matter.
