MPs slam €800,000 rent for defence ministry offices
MPs on Thursday grumbled about the defence ministry lacking a building of its own, continuing to be housed in rented premises costing some €800,000 a year.
The matter came up during ...
MP warns of ‘fiscal nuclear bomb’ from LNG and interconnector projects
A “fiscal nuclear bomb” looms over Cyprus due to the risks attached to the LNG import project at Vasiliko as well as the Great Sea Interconnector, an opposition MP said ...
Deputy minister defends eID contract amid conflict-of-interest criticism
Deputy Research Minister Nicodemos Damianou on Thursday rejected allegations of impropriety over the awarding of the new electronic ID (eID) contract to JCC, the company he once managed, insisting “nothing ...
Desalinated water reprocessed daily due to pipeline gaps, MPs told
Every day some 60,000 cubic metres of desalinated water has to be re-processed as it does not end up in the general water supply, MPs heard on Thursday.
The reveal was ...
Mavrokolympos reservoir reopened, water development dept says
The Mavrokolympos reservoir, which was entirely drained in January to fix a corroded vent, has now reopened and is receiving water, the water development department’s deputy director-general Elena Finikaridou ...
MPs slam state over 29-year land seizure without compensation
The House audit committee on Thursday examined the case of a plot of land which was seized by the state in 1996 for the purpose of building a primary school, but ...
MPs sound alarm over water waste, ageing networks, and policy failures
A host of problems, such as large water losses, ageing networks, a failure to utilise recycled water, unequal pricing policies and the energy dependence of desalination plants, were raised at ...
CyBC fund mismanagement sparks embezzlement fears
The public broadcaster’s provident fund has been run in such a shambolic way over the past few years, that it raises legitimate suspicions of embezzlement, MPs heard on Thursday.
...
Okypy faces rising deficits, fewer patients and poor governance
The state health services organisation (Okypy) keeps posting deficits, its budget continues to grow despite a sharp drop in the admission of patients, and it has lax controls over personnel, ...
AUDITOR GENERAL'S DISMISSAL
MPs stage walkout in protest of Michaelides’ dismissal
The House audit committee cancelled its session on Thursday “as a mark of respect” to Odysseas Michaelides, who was fired from his post as auditor-general.
MPs were slated to discuss ...
House committee calls for re-evaluation of rent paid by law firm
The House audit committee on Thursday called for the amount of money paid in rent by a law firm in Aglandjia for a property it leases from the state scholarships ...
Phone blocking system for prisons delayed again
A new system deactivating mobile phones in the immediate vicinity of the central prisons will be installed and go operational one-and-a-half years from now, Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis told MPs ...
National guard chief: Auditor’s report risks military secrets
The head of the national guard on Thursday took exception to the auditor-general revealing potentially sensitive information about the military, such as weapons storage depots and the state of munitions.
...
Officials warn Okypy to cut expenses
The state health services organisation (Okypy) needs to rein in its expenses if it is to continue receiving state grants, officials warned in parliament on Thursday.
Health ministry officials and ...
Blame game in full swing over LNG terminal dispute
The Chinese-led consortium with the contract to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Vasiliko is claiming €200 million from Cyprus in arbitration proceedings, MPs heard on Thursday, as the ...
Carbon tax and high electricity bills loom for Cyprus taxpayers
Taxpayers should brace for a tough 2024, what with the carbon tax slated to kick in early next year while electricity bills will remain high due mainly to the purchase cost ...
Local councils under scrutiny for lax practices
Some 32 local councils from a total of 350 across the island came under scrutiny on Thursday for lax practices including failure to tender projects, giving contracts to relatives or council members, ...
Local authority reform expected to increase state costs
Cyprus’ local authority reform will increase costs for the state; however this is to be expected until everything falls into place, the House audit committee heard on Thursday.
Presenting the ...
90 per cent of public development contracts awarded to single contractor, report shows
MPs on Thursday heard that a staggering 90 per cent of public contracts for development projects are being awarded to a single contractor, raising eyebrows and concerns about the transparency and ...
Illiteracy rate among primary school leavers at nearly 10 per cent, says audit committee
The illiteracy rate among primary school leavers stands at close to 10 per cent, MPs heard on Thursday, showing that the vast amounts of taxpayer money going to education are not ...
Millions wasted on Covid support plan
Over €30 million in pandemic support was disbursed to almost 5,000 beneficiaries who did not qualify and no effort has been made to recover the money, MPs heard on Thursday.
While 4,751 ineligible ...
Petrides suggests state take financial control of Cyprus Rally
Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides on Thursday suggested the government take financial control and management of the annual Cyprus Rally, amid claims that the current event organisers are leeching off the ...
Angry lawmakers call for heads to roll in golden passports scandal
Lawmakers on Thursday were quick to demand that those behind the golden passport scandal be brought to justice, while others voiced their concern that the interior ministry failed to grasp ...