Filenews 24 January 2025 - by Angelos Nicolaou
The Minister of Agriculture is expected to ask the Public Service Commission (PSC) today to consider the possibility of suspending them for the purpose of conducting the investigation against three persons of the Department of Forests in the Flying Means Unit. The recommendation for availability will be made by letter addressed to the president of the National Public Health Service. It is noted that one person has been absent abroad since last Tuesday.
At the same time, the investigative work by the ICF Headquarters is in full progress, which examines the evidence and documents collected during the operation at the unit based in Larnaka on Wednesday morning and concern financial irregularities in relation to the tenders of the Department of Forests for aerial firefighting means. The police investigation concerns offers for the rental of firefighting aircraft, for their maintenance, as well as for the purchase of parts.
The examinations and analyses of the data are carried out in comparison with the evidence already in the hands of the investigators as a result of the administrative investigation preceded by an officer of the Ministry of Agriculture working in a Department of the General Directorate of Rural Development. It is noted that the Department of Forests is part of the General Directorate of Environment.
In her statements, the Minister of Agriculture Maria Panayiotou said that the criminal investigation conducted by the Police concerns very specific individuals and not all the staff of the Department of Forests, and focuses on contracts made from 2017 onwards and concern the supply of aerial firefighting means.
It is noted that the competent minister said that immediately after receiving complaints in the summer on this issue, she asked for an administrative investigation. On 6 December she received the result, which she referred to the Legal Service. In consultation with the Assistant Attorney General and after evaluating the data, it was decided that the findings of the investigating officer will be forwarded to the Police for further investigation. According to the competent Minister, the results of the police investigations are now awaited in order to decide the next steps.
It is noted that new tenders for the rental or purchase of aircraft with crew are now conducted by the Treasury.
