Filenews 18 March 2023 - by Fanis Makridis
State officials have in their hands a revealing investigation into the €70 million fiasco with the Integrated Waste Management Facility (IWTP) plant and the Landfill in Pentakomo.
The reason for the finding of the investigative committee appointed by the outgoing Council of Ministers on August 28, 2019. This committee, based on its terms of reference and the government's decision, had access to letters and documents for the unit in the Limassol district, even before the failed project took shape.
She recently completed her research work by delivering her report, which is more than 200 pages long. According to information from "F", this report was forwarded to the former Minister of Agriculture, Costas Kadis, in February, while it is at the disposal of Petros Xenophontos, who from March 1 received the portfolio of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment.
Although the former minister reportedly dealt with the issue of the investigation, he did not have time to take any meaningful action. This is because of the short time he had to act, since his departure was a given.
Information provided by "F" on the content of the findings of the investigative committee states that it summarizes all the activities regarding the history of the Pentakomou OEDA.
There are also reports on the decisions taken by the State regarding the unit, but also on the fact that from the beginning there were warnings about how to implement and manage the project, which were not taken into account.
Here it should be noted that EU special advisers (the project is co-financed) had made specific recommendations and observations in a timely manner. However, the public authorities involved acted in the opposite direction. It is enough to note that the Water Development Department was found to be dealing with the issue of waste management. Moreover, as was mentioned last Wednesday in parliament's Committee on the Environment, the tendering period and the construction period of the Unit are being examined by the European Union's Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).
What is not clear is whether the administrative investigation directly attaches responsibility to public officials or whether the findings of the committee set up by a decision of the Council of Ministers will be handled differently for apportioning blame.
It should be noted that the administrative investigation had been underway since 2019, when the operational problems of the unit were clearly visible. The former minister had led a proposal to the Council of Ministers to set up a committee of inquiry. In a lengthy note, he briefly referred to the history of the Pentakomou OEDA, the problems that occurred and the actions of the State. His proposal was clearly the establishment of an investigative committee "to determine whether there are responsibilities in the planning and monitoring / management of the implementation of the Pentakomou OEDA".
The proposal of the then minister had been approved by the government of former President Nicos Anastasiades, since at the end of August 2019 he decided to establish the committee. Two ETEK experts and a senior environmental officer had been appointed.
According to the committee's terms of reference, it had been given the power to have full access to any official file or document for the performance of its mission. In general, the terms of reference were clear and stated that the committee's mission is to shed light on decisions, acts and possible omissions of any natural or legal person regarding the design and implementation of the project.
In addition, the committee was authorised to examine whether recommendations from the European Commission had been taken into account, but also to clarify the backdrop around the issue of secondary fuel produced (SRF/RDF) by waste management.
In other words, the committee of inquiry in question was given superpowers with the aim of apportioning blame for the €70 million fiasco.
Reflections on the project today
At the meeting of the parliamentary environment committee last Wednesday, concerns were expressed about the unit. Pentakomou OEDA and XYTY have been operating since November 2017 for all mixed municipal waste in the Limassol district. It began its operation in parallel with the closure of the uncontrolled Landfill in Vati, Limassol. The contract was signed on 6/3/2013, while the construction cost would amount to €42.6 million. co-financed by the EU's Cohesion Fund. The amount of the 10-year operation of the plant was €30.4 million.
AKEL MP Andreas Kafkalias had vividly attributed the situation that exists today, referring to "a monument of inadequacy and incompetence of the state, which is unable to provide solutions to an existing problem with great consequences for the country".
It is noted that the plant continues to operate without environmental approval and without being received by the Limassol Waste Disposal Exploitation Council.
The president of the community of Kalavasos and president of the Coordinating Committee of the nine communities of the region, Lefteris Fokas, after the meeting of the parliamentary committee, in his statements to our newspaper had stated that based on the existing data they should request a decree from the court for the closure of the Penakomo OEDA. As he explained, he intends to put this recommendation before the other communities for a decision.
Mr. Fokas had explained that he decided the above, since at the meeting of the Environment Committee, there was no setting of timetables for dealing with the issues.
It should be recalled that the Audit Office, in its report last December on public tenders and contracts of the Ministry of Agriculture, had indirect references to the multitude of problems in relation to the operation of the Pentakomou OEDA and the additional cost that the project has for the state.
INTERVENTION
Here is Rhodes...
If the new government wants to put the knife to the bone in relation to the issue of the Pentakomou OEDA, all it has to do is make use of the material of the administrative investigation that is at its disposal. This is a finding of about 200 pages, by persons with expert opinion, who had full access to documents, service files and, in general, unique material related to the whole operation. It is a question of there really being a will to resolve the issue and the ball is now in the hands of the current rulers. Comments are unnecessary.
