Markides has report on alleged scam

By Elias Hazou

THE CONTROVERSY over the bishop of Limassol’s business dealings now looks set to come to a head, with police finalising the results of one investigation.

Police spokesman Stelios Neophytou yesterday confirmed to the Cyprus Mail that a report involving one case – that of a $3.7 million scam originating in Britain – had been completed and submitted to Attorney-general Alecos Markides late on Monday.

Markides met police investigators yesterday afternoon to discuss the findings of the report. Speaking to reporters afterwards, he said he would study the report to ascertain whether any court action was necessary.

Markides confirmed that the police report contained recommendations on how to take the investigation further, but avoided indicating what that direction might be.

Asked what charges, if any, could be made against Bishop Chrysanthos, Neophytou said that the case might involve charges of conspiracy to defraud. The final decision rested with the Attorney-general, he added.

Neophytou confirmed that investigations into other cases allegedly involving the bishop were continuing.

Chrysanthos is currently under investigation in two other cases, one involving a group of Portuguese businessmen who accuse the bishop of swindling them out of $1.5 million, and the other concerning reports that millions of Iraqi dinars were transferred to the Limassol bishopric shortly before the 1991 Gulf War.

Meanwhile Simerini reported yesterday that Auditor-general Spyros Christou has said the Church owes the state some seven million pounds in taxes on profits from capital investment. Christou told the paper that the Inland Revenue Department was considering taking legal action against the Church if the money is not paid.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.