Turkish Cypriot properties officials to be transferred

Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou on Wednesday ordered civil servants in the Turkish Cypriot property management office involved in the scandal that broke out months ago over mismanagement and nepotism be transferred to other positions until the criminal case has been fully examined.

In September last year, the scandal broke, with the former interior minister Nicos Nouris ordering an investigation into 16 people, who work for the service.

Speaking after a House refugee committee meeting in September, the head of the committee Nicos Kettiros said that one official had requested a bribe of €20,000 to promote an individual’s application, without having to go through the full process.

Kettiros added that another case heard at the session involved an individual who was denied a property they applied for only to find out it had been given to the relative of the then district administrator.

The bribery complaints were all given to the auditor general and the attorney general’s office, representatives of which were also at the meeting.

In a statement on Wednesday, Ioannou called for the department to enact measures to make sure the management of Turkish Cypriot properties is more effective.

Last week, the auditor-general’s office said that there are “omissions and gaps” in the management of Turkish Cypriot properties with only 65 per cent of them have been granted to refugees.

Presenting the preliminary data before the house refugee committee, auditor-general Odysseas Michaelides said a report on the management of commercial properties will be published in April, followed by another report in May. Those confirm allegations of mismanagement of TC properties.