Water boss pleads guilty to abuse of authority

WATER Development department (WDD) director Lakis Christodoulou yesterday pleaded guilty to eleven charges of abusing his position.

Christodoulou is on trial before the Nicosia District court on a total of 29 charges of abuse of authority, deceit and attempting to interfere with a police investigation.

The top civil servant was charged following a police investigation launched after employees and machinery belonging to his department were found on the building site of his out-of-town mansion during a police raid on May 20.

He had originally pleaded not guilty to all 29 charges.

But Christodoulou’s lawyer, Efstathios Efstathiou, told the court yesterday his client now wanted to plead guilty to the 11 charges relating to abuse of authority.

During the first trial hearing last week, senior WDD technician Sofoklis Nicolaou, who took the stand as a witness for the prosecution, told the court his boss considered getting his subordinates to moonlight for him to be one of the perks of his job. Nicolaou stated Christodoulou had repeatedly asked him to provide departmental employees to work on his home near the new GSP stadium outside Nicosia.

The trial continues on Thursday.

Christodoulou has been suspended from his duties pending the outcome of the trial.

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