Former auditor-general Odysseas Michaelides said on Thursday that the government was telling ‘shameless lies’ by dismissing corruption allegations as ‘fake news’ regarding the apparently illegal operation of a leisure and events hall.

“No matter how much Christodoulides’ government is trying to hide, the truth will come to light because Cypriots deserve something better, they deserve a public administration free from entanglement and entangled people, they deserve a modern rule of law and better politicians,” Michaelides said.

He wondered if it was ‘fake news’ that during Christodoulides’ term in office “three licences were issued in seven working days for the centre in question”.

Michaelides referred to a second planning permit with additional exemptions given by the interior ministry on August 28, 2023, a building permit by the district officer on September 6 and an operating licence by the deputy tourism ministry also on September 6.

He also wondered “which invisible hand coordinated and achieved the issuing of three permits for an illegal centre in record time, without it meeting the minimum operation and safety criteria, in violation of all relevant legislation.”

Michaelides asked if there was a relationship between the president and the owner of the centre and “the cost of the pre-election event of the president in the said centre, three weeks before the elections”.

He called on the government to say whether the president was scheduled to officially open the centre on October 1 and how Christodoulides had paid for the pre-election event.

“Did the then presidential candidate [Christodoulides] pay for the pre-election event via bank, and did he include this in his pre-election expenses?”

Michaelides also asked rhetorically whether it was ‘fake news’ that the current auditor-general Andreas Papaconstantinou “completely concealed allegations of a ‘political transaction’ in his report about suspect procedures by the relevant authorities” and whether “it was Papaconstantinou’s own decision to completely remove the MP’s allegation or did he receive orders from above?”

He added in his statement: “Does Mr Christodoulides believe that entanglement and corruption are not a serious issue?”

On Wednesday, Christodoulides dismissed the corruption allegations as ‘fake news’, denying claims he attended the inauguration of an allegedly illegal leisure centre project.

“Another fake news story,” Christodoulides said.

The ‘fake news’ label has to do with the fact that Michaelides had posted on X a photograph purporting to show Christodoulides (as president) attending the inauguration of the venue in question.

But it has since transpired that the photograph depicted Christodoulides (as presidential candidate) attending a pre-election gathering in early 2023.

Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou later clarified the venue’s licence was approved on June 8, 2022, before the current administration, through an exceptions committee process.

He confirmed the April 2023 building permit was based on these terms, though the owner’s later request to amend conditions was rejected. Authorities issued an enforcement order in May 2024 after identifying violations.

The former auditor-general has alerted EU bodies to two other alleged Audit Office cases involving misconduct, and he demands the leisure centre matter be referred to Cyprus’ Anti-Corruption Authority, threatening to escalate the issue post-Easter if no action is taken.