Three investigations in relation to Turkish Cypriot properties which concern 17 shops in Paphos, 23 business premises, nationwide, and land owned by their family members or employees working at the Turkish Cypriot Property Management Service of the Ministry of Interior, is being conducted by the Audit Service, the Auditor General of the Republic Odysseas Michaelides told the Parliamentary Committee on Refugees.
Speaking before the Committee, which held its last meeting before the presidential elections, the Auditor General said that the first investigation concerning 17 commercial premises in Paphos will be issued before December 20, while he said that the second investigation, which concerns 23 commercial premises of high value, which the EY checked on a sample basis and are located within Old Nicosia, in the Limassol Marina area and within Paphos, is proceeding.
He added that within the next few days a letter will be sent to the Ministry of Interior, which will be given time to respond, and the result of the investigation will be issued after the elections.
With regard to the third investigation, Michaelides said that it is in its initial stages and concerns Turkish Cypriot properties held, through leases, by employees working at the Turkish Cypriot Property Management Service of the Interior Ministry as well as members of the advisory committees.
The Committee examined a number of issues, such as the reconstruction of refugee settlements and the policy of building new houses, the problems encountered with regard to the installation of lifts in apartment buildings and their maintenance contracts in government settlements and the discrimination in relation to the support of families of missing persons and the policy of sponsoring refugee associations.
In his statements after the meeting, Committee Chairman Nikos Ketteros said that in addition to the 3 investigations by the Audit Office, an investigation by the Ministry of Interior is underway and added that for the investigation of the 17 shops "it seems that there are findings" and added that "not all the shops that were given to Paphos were published as due by the competent department".
He said that the Audit Office found in its preliminary findings that "they are not at reasonable levels and some of the applications were overdue" and added that "there are serious responsibilities and serious irregularities".
He also said that "the rents in some of the cases were described as almost gratuitous and it is established on our part that there has been in this situation an orgy of undignity and bribery."
With regard to the investigation of the officials, Mr. Kettiros said that "prima facie issues seem to arise" and added that the investigation is in its initial stages.
With regard to the Ministry of Interior's investigation, he said it will be completed with a one-month delay as "evidence has emerged."
Elevators in government housing estates
Regarding the issue of maintenance and installation of elevators in apartment buildings in government housing estates, Ketteros said the Commission has asked the Planning Department to find a way to move people who are on floors in cases where elevators cannot be installed.
"It cannot be used as an excuse that some apartments have now been allocated either to foreigners or to people who are not refugees," he said, adding that "it cannot and is unacceptable to cost 200,000 euros to install a lift."
Kettiros urged the Department of Urban Planning to contact the ETEK to find technologies that are more economical and do not need this long process and added that the Minister of Interior pledged to install 32 lifts and today there is still no lift in operation.
On the issue, DISY MP Rita Superman said that the Planning Department informed the Committee on where the issue stands today and added that "the issue is becoming more and more complex and the need arises for a demographic mapping of each of the apartment buildings so that the right decisions can be made".
She said that 115 lifts have been installed to date and 30 more are expected to be installed in 2023 and added that "the cost of installing the lifts is very high, amounting to around 200,000 euros for each lift because other maintenance work needs to be done on the apartment buildings in parallel" as "these are very old buildings."
[P SUPERMAN SAID THAT OTHER ISSUES THAT ARISE ARE "THE NON-CONSENT OF TENANTS OF THE APARTMENT BUILDINGS TO INSTALL THE LIFTS" SUCH AS TENANTS LIVING ON THE GROUND FLOOR WHO "DO NOT GIVE THESE CONSENTS."
March proposal for care for parents and spouses of missing and fallen persons
In relation to the care of parents and spouses of missing and fallen persons, Mr. Kettiros said that there is a difference of opinion on this issue because the Ministry of Welfare is asking for criteria to be introduced in the EEE process, while the relatives of missing persons are asking for no criteria.
She said that the Commission has instructed the Commissioner for the Presidency, Fotis Fotiou, to prepare a proposal by March and added that the Deputy Minister of Welfare has undertaken to resolve the issues when and if the need to provide care to parents or spouses of missing and deceased persons arises. Superman said that Presidential Commissioner Fotis Fotiou indicated that this issue is being studied and they will proceed with a proposal to the Ministry of Finance so that this group of refugees will also be supported.
In relation to the benefits requested by the relatives of the missing persons from the state, ELAM MP Sotiris Ioannou said that every state is judged by the appreciation it gives to the people who sacrificed for the independence of the state and added that "48 years later, the relatives of the missing persons and their children remain without substantial support from the state so that in many cases they face problems of survival, while in others the sacrifice of their relatives is not appreciated at all".
"We believe that the state should honourably and immediately proceed with the provision of benefits to these people without income criteria", he added.
He said that there is a stonewalling on this issue and added that "it is unacceptable for people who sacrificed their lives for the independence of the Republic of Cyprus."
Mr. Ioannou also said that Presidential Commissioner Fotis Fotiou "informed us that they have not yet proceeded with any study regarding the amount and cost that this issue will cost the state" and added that the Refugee Committee will revisit the issue when it resumes its work after the elections, but unfortunately, he said, "in addition to so many years of delay, we see that there are several months of delay."
"We believe that there should be no income criteria," he said, adding that this state spends tens of millions on illegal immigrants and should allocate these funds to our own people," he concluded.
Fund for refugee associations in COA supplementary budget
Regarding the issue of refugee associations, Ketteros expressed satisfaction because the President of the COA pledged that the 2023 supplementary budget will include a fund for 320.000 for the stadiums of Nea Salamina and Ethnikos Ahna and an additional 250,000 euros for the stadium of Anorthosis.
"There is also the approval of 150,000 euros for the study concerning the needs of these stadiums," he added.
For her part, DISY MP Rita Superman said that an additional amount of 500,000 euros for the support of refugee clubs has been included in the supplementary budget of the CTO for 2023 to support refugee clubs.
In relation to the policy of sponsorship to refugee clubs, DPA - Co-operation MP Michael Yakoomi said that refugee clubs hold high the flag of Return and added that "state sponsorship is a contribution, but also an obligation of the State to all Refugee Clubs, to all Refugee Fans, but also to the players of the Clubs who try so hard to keep the memories alive and the flame of return lit".
"In conditions of austerity, the clubs are facing serious financial problems and cannot cover their basic needs, resulting in the restriction of their activities and therefore their revenues," he added.
He said that "the supplementary budget is in the right direction, however, our position is that it should be included in the annual budget of 2023 or at least there should be an allocation from savings in 2022, so that all Refugee Associations can meet their obligations and their long-standing contribution to our anti-refugee struggle."
He said that "the supplementary budget is in the right direction, however, our position is that it should be included in the annual budget of 2023 or at least there should be an allocation from savings in 2022, so that all Refugee Associations can meet their obligations and their long-standing contribution to our anti-refugee struggle..
CTO President Andreas Michaelides said that the CTO has a sacred obligation to help the survival of refugee clubs and "we do this with great reverence", adding that the CTO has in the recent past doubled the sponsorship to refugee clubs and "we have institutionalized this sponsorship to all clubs".
Regarding the repairs made to the stadiums of Nea Salamina, Anorthosis and Ethnikos Ahna, Michaelides said that the Council of Ministers approved an amount of 150,000 euros for the stadium repair studies.
He also said that the 3 clubs have already spent a budget for repairs and added that the CAA promised the clubs and the Commission that it will immediately submit a supplementary budget for 2023 to provide this money.
"This process clearly shows how right the government's position is to create a Deputy Ministry of Sport," he said, adding that it is necessary to create a Deputy Ministry "to shorten procedures, speed up all decisions and make sport grow even more."
Source: CNA
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