Police complete investigation into Cypra slaughterhouse

Police have completed their investigation into the employment of 26 illegal foreign workers at the Cypra slaughterhouse and sent the file to the legal service, with the suggestion that criminal charges follow.

The slaughterhouse came under fire in November after around 100 of their workers, the majority asylum seekers, tested positive for the coronavirus.

Police examined the working status of some 70 foreign workers at Cypra and found that 26 did not have a regular work permit.

Investigations were delayed because some of the workers were quarantined after testing positive for the coronavirus, while others were contacts of known cases, so authorities had to wait before interrogating them.

Police on Thursday filed their report to the Attorney General’s office, suggesting owner Giorgos Georgiou face charges for the illegal employment of foreigners, as well as for the company itself.

Authorities are also looking into Georgiou’s failure to show up at a House labour committee meeting on November 17 claiming he was a close contact and had to self-isolate after his workers at the facility tested positive for the virus.

The Cypra owner, who is the husband of the state treasurer, eventually appeared in parliament the following week with his lawyer.

He conceded that he was not a close contact but argued that the contact tracing unit had asked everyone at the facility to self-isolate.

Georgiou, nevertheless, disobeyed the unit and went to the facility, claiming he needed to check the refrigerators, which were full of meat products, and do some other work.

He said he never came into contact with anyone and after doing the rounds he locked himself in the office.