By Athena Karsera
WATER Development Department (WDD) director Lakis Christodoulou was jailed for six months yesterday after being convicted of abuse of power.
The Nicosia District Court ruled that each of the 11 charges of abuse of position on which he was convicted carried a term of six months, which would run concurrently.
The usually dapper Christodoulou was visibly jolted by the ruling and refused to comment on leaving the Court yesterday.
His lawyer, Efstathios Efstathiou, did not say whether he would appeal against the sentence, simply saying that court decisions were not matter for public discussion.
Christodoulou changed his plea to guilty on the 11 charges earlier this month. He had earlier pleaded not guilty to an original 29 charges of abuse of authority, deceit and attempting to interfere with a police investigation.
The WDD director was charged after a police investigation uncovered employees and machinery belonging to the department on the building site of his out-of-town mansion.
Announcing sentence yesterday, Judge Haris Solomonides said that Christodoulou had abused his position and tarnished the public’s trust in the civil service.
Solomonides said he had to take into account the fact that Christodoulou’s wrong-doing was not a one-off instance, but had taken place over a two-year period and was made up of many violations.
He said that the punishment would have to be such as to deter people in Christodoulou’s position from taking advantage of their position and the power that came with it.
Christodoulou’s ill health, his previously clean criminal record, his family status, good conduct in Court and his admitting to the 11 charges were also taking into consideration.
In reference to Efstathiou’s plea for leniency on the grounds of his client’s ill health, Solomonides said this was no reason to rule out imprisonment, as good doctors were available at the prison.
Solomonides also said press interest in the case did not mean Christodoulou should escape a prison sentence. He added that it was the media’s right to be present in Court and to publicise cases.
Christodoulou’s jail sentence means he will lose his job and the thousands of pounds’ worth of accumulated civil service pension and benefits.
