Serious shadows that touch the highest chambers of the previous government and lead to the recommendation for criminal prosecution of a former Minister, leaves the "catapult" conclusion of the Independent Anti-Corruption Authority that was made public yesterday.
At the heart of the investigation, which was based on the revelations of Makarios Drousiotis in his book "Mafia State", is the scandalous concession of high-value state land in Ayia Napa to the Archdiocese of Cyprus, a decision that seems to have damaged the state with millions of euros.
According to the complaints, the case is part of a wider context of relations between the former President of the Republic, Nicos Anastasiades, and the late Archbishop Chrysostomos II. As Mr. Drousiotis argued, the Archbishop often submitted financial requests to the then President, who usually satisfied them.
As a piece of this puzzle, the subsequent purchase of a residential plot of 1,739 sq.m. is presented. in the aristocratic area of Mesovounia in Germasogeia by the wife of the former President, Andri Anastasiades. At that time, the purchase and sale took place without the cooperation or participation of any third party and a political earthquake was caused after the revelation of "F" in a front-page article dated. 9/4/2014.
The contract, signed on February 3, 2014, provided for a sale price of €500,000, with Ms. Anastasiades paying an advance payment of €40,000 in cash (80 x €500 notes). The purchase was considered extremely favourable, as reputable appraisers estimated the value of the plot at €870,000 at the time. The plot was adjacent to the presidential residence and was already being used by Mr. Anastasiades' guard.
According to Mr. Drousiotis, this purchase at a preferential price was not unrelated to the earlier decision of the Council of Ministers to grant the Archdiocese state land-fillet in Ayia Napa.
THIS ARTICLE OF 09/04/2014
Archbishop's deal with Anastasiades
Purchase and sale of a property of 1,739 sq.m. for €500,000 in an aristocratic area of Limassol
A residential property with an area of 1,739 sq.m., in the most expensive area of Limassol, was bought from the Archdiocese by the wife of the President of the Republic, Andri Anastasiadou, for €500,000, with terms that are at least characterized as highly favourable for the buyer. The property is located next to the residence of the President of the Republic in the aristocratic area of Mesovounia of the Municipality of Germasogeia and its area produces more than three residential plots. It was purchased on February 3, 2014 with the parties signing the purchase and sale of the Archbishop of Cyprus Chrysostomos and the wife of the President.
Mrs. Anastasiadou, with the signing of the purchase and sale document, paid the amount of €40,000 in cash (80 €500 banknotes) as an advance payment for the purchase of the plot in the parish of Potamos Germasogeia, in the Municipality of Germasogeia. Based on the purchase and sale document, the amount of €160,000 must be paid to the Archdiocese by April 30, 2014.
The remaining amount of €300,000 to be paid in 75 interest-free monthly instalments of €4,000 each.
As stated in the agreement, the delivery of the free possession of the property will take place with the signing of the agreement and the transfer from the Archdiocese to the wife of President Anastasiades will take place up to 30 days from the date of payment of the sale price.
This estate is already being used by the guard of President Anastasiades, since it is adjacent to his house, which also belongs to Andri Anastasiades. There is also a guard post in the area.
The purchase seems to be to the benefit of Mrs. Anastasiadou since, according to reputable land appraisers, now with the crisis, the value of this plot amounts to around €870,000 (about €500 per sq.m.). It is noted that in the same area, plots of land are currently available for sale at €650 per square meter.
The residential plot is located in a quiet area, overlooking the sea, with urban planning zone Κα9.
In these areas, the predominant use is the residence of up to two floors, 10 meters high, 40% building capacity and 20% coverage. Luxury residences are built there.
The market value of this piece at 1/1/1980 prices is €27,800.
According to the asset declaration published before the Presidential Elections (January 25, 2013) by the then candidate for President Nicos Anastasiades, the plot where his house is located has a total area of 982 sq.m., while the house has an area of 350 sq.m. The plot was bought in 2002 for €100,000, while the construction cost of the house was declared to be €500,000. At that time, Mr. Anastasiades was the president of the Democratic Rally.
The contract for the new plot was signed between Archbishop Chrysostomos II and Andri Anastasiadou on February 3, 2014, while the next day the advance payment on behalf of the buyer was deposited with the Holy Archdiocese, which in turn proceeded to transfer the relevant amount to its account, which it maintains with the Bank of Cyprus. The contract in question was brought before the Holy Synod of the Church, which gave its approval.
With the signing of the contract, the property was delivered to the buyer. It is pointed out that the buyer is obliged to pay all cadastral and transfer costs for the transfer of the property. As for the various taxes and fees to municipal, governmental, semi-state or other authorities, they are now borne by Andri Anastasiadou.
The purchase and sale was made without the cooperation or participation of any third party, especially a real estate agent.
The findings of the inspection officers of the Anti-Corruption Authority on the management of state land are revealing:
On July 11, 2013, the competent Interministerial Committee recommended as an "exceptional case" the approval of a request by the Archdiocese for the concession of state land in Ayia Napa, as compensation for ecclesiastical land in Engomi that had been expropriated. The proposal was approved by the Council of Ministers on 10 October 2013.
Although legally the Archdiocese had the right to request land for money, in the administrative file there was no valuation report, methodology or supporting material explaining how the value of €5,712,000 presented to government bodies came about.
Later data from the Land Registry revealed the extent of the distortion. The eight pieces that were eventually transferred to the Church had a real value based on the 2013 general estimate of €10,638,300.
However, the value of the land that ended up in the Archdiocese was almost €5 million greater than that declared, causing a possible serious loss of state property and damage to the public interest.
This development puts the then Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, Nikos Kougialis, who participated in the competent Interministerial Committee, in a difficult position.
The inspectors judged that Mr. Kougialis, by supporting the proposal without ensuring that the value of the land and the "exceptional" treatment of the Archdiocese were duly justified, may have exercised his authority in an arbitrary manner.
Therefore, the conclusion concludes with the recommendation for the inclusion of Mr. Kougialis in the investigated persons for the possible misdemeanor of abuse of power. It is noted, however, that the inspectors did not find any testimony that the former Minister obtained, directly or indirectly, any personal or financial benefit from the procedure, which is why the act in question is categorized as a misdemeanor and not as a felony.
Second recommendation for criminal prosecution against Nikos Kougialis
It is worth noting that this is the second time that the Independent Anti-Corruption Authority has recommended the criminal prosecution of the former Minister of Agriculture. This was preceded by the revelation of the "bombshell" conclusion on the Trimiklini scandal, where the Authority had also requested the prosecution of Mr. Kougialis, as well as two former directors of government departments. This new development around the concession of state land to the Archdiocese comes to add to the heavy history of the cases being investigated, further burdening the position of the former Minister.
According to information from "F", for this case the Police allegedly secured a decree from the Court and applied in recent days to state Services and banking institutions to ensure a history of movable and immovable property movements for all four involved in the Trimiklini case.
