Miss Universe chairman sacked

NICOS Mastorakis, the Athens-based chairman of the Miss Universe Host Committee, was sacked yesterday amidst accusations of scandal made by the Social Democratic Party.

The reason for his dismissal was not specified. Nicos Rolandis, Minister for Commerce, Industry and Tourism, said only that given Mastorakis’ election by open tender, "when problems came up, we decided to terminate our co-operation with him."

Mastorakis will receive £500,000 compensation for his dismissal, paid from Pageant funds – despite claims from the Social Democrats that the Miss Universe budget has doubled from the £2.2 million agreed last year.

Rolandis denied the budget claims. In response to the criticism he said, "we like to twist facts in Cyprus."

Speaking to the House Finance Committee, he announced that the Pageant’s budget would rise by no more than 10 to 15 per cent. "The small increase is because it is impossible to cost precisely events such as these a year in advance."

He also underlined that the budget would receive support from the television commercials due to be broadcast during the contest. One minute of airtime will cost £700,000.

Rolandis assured deputies that the state would incur no loss from the termination of Mastorakis’ contract.

Mastorakis’ departure comes less than six weeks before the final is due to take place on May 13.

Last weekend, the 12 candidates to represent the Netherlands at the contest filmed a promotional video about Cyprus at Paphos.

As a result, World Entertainment, the television production company of Miss Universe Netherlands, is due to return to Cyprus in Spring 2001 for an international modelling event. Ironically, Mastorakis’ sacking was the subject of April Fools stories in three local papers on Saturday.

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.