Filenews 22 July 2022 - by Michalis Hadjivassilis
Another public official was convicted by a Court for the bribes in connection with the case of the Paphos landfill and the Koshi landfill.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court sentenced Antonis Kourouzidis, who, at the time in question, was working as an engineer at the Ministry of Interior, with responsibilities for the project in question, to 15 months in prison with a three-year suspension. Before the imposition of a sentence, the senior lawyer of the Republic, Ninos Kekkos, and the defendant's lawyer spoke in order to mitigate the sentence.
Kourouzidis had initially been acquitted by the Assize Court of Nicosia, but Attorney General George Savvidis appealed, resulting in the Court of Appeal overturning this decision, finding that he was wrongly acquitted. When imposing a sentence yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that due to the long period of time that has elapsed since the commission of the offenses, it was not necessary to impose immediate imprisonment but with suspension, although the offences of decay and bribery are quite serious.
It is noted that the Supreme Court had rejected the appeals of four other persons and Helector Cyprus Ltd against their conviction and sentence, thus sealing the sentences imposed on them at first instance. They are Andreas Louroutziatis, then mayor of Larnaca, and Dimitris Patsalidis, financial director of the Municipality of Paphos who were sentenced to prison sentences of five years each, and Georgios Koullapis and Michalis Pantis, engineers at the Department of Urban Planning and Housing to 3.5 years and 18 months in prison respectively. Also rejected was the appeal of the company Helector Cyprus Ltd., the managing company of the above projects, which was sentenced to a fine of €201,000.
As is well known, the case concerned the bribery of state officials and public officials, by the company Helector Cyprus Ltd., in relation to the construction and operation of the Household Waste Collection, Treatment and Landfill System in the districts of Paphos (Paphos landfill) and Larnaca (Koshi Landfill).
