Villagers up in arms over co-op investigation

RESIDENTS of a Paphos village are said to be up in arms after five members of the local co-op committee were sacked for refusing to put the secretary on forced leave pending an investigation into irregularities.

The Panayia village co-op is being investigated, along with the co- operatives in Paphos, Polis Chrysohous and Pomos, after it emerged they were registering companies as members, which then proceeded to take out loans without paying the mortgage fees to the Land Registry Department.

According to law, only private citizens can become co-op members, and are exempted from paying mortgage fees if they borrow money.

The sacking of the five Panayia members follows the high-profile dismissal of DIKO first vice chairman Nicos Pittokopitis as chairman of the Paphos co- op committee.

Co-operative Development officer Erotocritos Chlorakiotis had asked from the three co-ops – Panayia, Polis and Pomos – to put their secretaries on forced leave pending investigations of the matter.

Polis and Pomos obeyed, but Panayia refused, forcing Chlorakiotis to sack the five members.

Chlorakiotis is understood to be having difficulties in replacing them, since other co-op officials are refusing to take over.

According to reports yesterday, other co-op officials were determined not to accept the replacements, while village residents denied that the interests of the community had been hurt by the committee’s actions and demanded to meet Chlorakiotis personally.

In a written statement yesterday, Chlorakiotis said he had sacked the four members of the committee because they had approved the registration of a company, thus violating the law on co-operative banks, while the secretary was also suspended pending the police investigation into the matter.

The statement said that two other officials had been appointed to oversee the bank’s operations until a new committee was elected.

A temporary secretary was also named to take the place of the suspended official until the investigation was completed, the statement said.

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