What happened to disciplinary probe?
THE GREEN light has been given by the state for the continuation of construction on top of a highly significant ancient site at the Pitharia area in Erimi, in the Limassol district.
This development to an issue that has dragged on for years, has led to accusations among government departments, each assigning responsibility to the other, while the reasoning behind allowing construction to go on is being questioned, even by local interests.
“We were informed orally by the Ministry of Transport and Works that the OK has been given to proceed with construction on the land,” said Panicos Hadjihambi, head of Erimi Community Council. “This assurance was also sent in writing to all of the plot-owners, prior to the elections. Was this just a case of pre-election ‘fireworks’?” he asked.
The area in question has been divided into 31 plots and purchased by 25 buyers with the intention of building residences there. The plot division took place in 2001, at which point the antiquities were discovered.
According to the former Minister of Transport and Works, Maria Malaktou-Bambali, the Antiquities Department had visited the site in 2001, but found that the antiquities of value were concentrated on the northern part of the area, so the rest could freely be developed with construction work. Several construction licences were granted in the years between 2001 and 2007.
In January 2007, antiquities were again discovered while digging to build a house on one of the plots. The Antiquities Department visited the site and this time they ruled that the findings were of archaeological value and should be protected. Construction was therefore halted, which caused strong reaction on the part of the plot owner, who was oblivious to the presence of the antiquities when he bought the land.
Assertions by the minister on mismanagement by the Antiquities Department were made in January 2007. Malaktou had also announced that the Ministry had already initiated a disciplinary probe to identify individual employees of the Antiquities Department, who bear responsibility for the state of affairs. However, nothing has been announced since and no-one has taken the blame.
“The Minister had said that a disciplinary probe had already started before the end of last year. Yet, no one has been punished. No findings publicised. What happened happened and we lost an ancient site of exceptional value. Someone has to take the blame. Or was it all just pre-election talk?” said Hadjihambi.
The Antiquities Department, however, claims that responsibility does not lie with them. The Department recently circulated an announcement, explaining their position on the Erimi scandal, clarifying that it was not the Antiquities Department that had given the construction licences in the first place. This is the responsibility of Town Planning.
Specifically, the Antiquities Department made the following clarifications:
l no Antiquities Department archaeologist has ever said that the antiquities discovered at Erimi were not important
l the Department never gave unconditional approval for the construction of residences on any of the plots, and the rumours on conflicting opinions by the Department are false
l the Department had set the condition, as provided in the relevant law, to oversee the digging at the site in question, but they were not called when construction started
l whether certain actions were made legally or not should be decided through state mechanisms
l the decision for the expropriation of an archaeological site is a purely political decision made by the Council of Ministers, as stated in the relevant law
l if some archaeological findings are now covered with concrete, that is not the responsibility of the Department, which had proclaimed the site as an Ancient Monument and had asked to oversee construction work.
In its statement, the Antiquities Department also implies that sinister interests are being served by presenting the destruction of the site by construction as a fait accompli. “It is particularly worrying that some articles in the press take it for granted that the Erimi case will end with the findings buried in concrete. One can justifiably wonder, which interests do these positions serve and where are they coming from? We are sorry that such a significant archaeological finding is accompanied by such positions,” the statement read.
The Antiquities Department also confirmed the exceptional value of the site that was buried for over 3,000 years below Erimi. “This ancient town is very likely the predecessor of Curium, the town of the Late Copper Age, mentioned by the historian Herodotos and the ancient geographer Stravonas,” the Antiquities Department announced.
Significant findings, including public and other buildings, underground and overground working spaces, tombs, and an array of items were found at the site. “From a scientific perspective, this discovery is exceptionally important and fills a lot of gaps in research and in the understanding of our history. To do this, however, we must protect the antiquities – what some call ‘old rocks.’ And if the average citizen cannot appreciate their significance, the state has a duty to explain it,” the statement continued.
