CASH-STRAPPED Peyia has allegeldy issued a cheque of €25,000 for the local football team without following the correct procedures, required, according to one outraged local councillor.
A fuming Linda Leblanc contacted the Cyprus Mail yesterday, after she discovered, by accident that the mayor had given the go ahead to a request by APOP Kiniras Peyia FC, for the hefty sum, despite an earlier request for a lesser sum having ended in a tied vote at the council.
“The council was called to attend an extraordinary emergency meeting last Thursday following the request by the club for an immediate payment,” said Leblanc.
The councillor says that Peyia municipality was already facing a shaky financial future complicated by the fact the municipality is owned millions in back taxes.
“We have problems paying the staff on time and yet we are now suddenly able to find this money for the club,” said Leblanc.
According to Leblanc the mayor of Peyia, Neofytos Akourshiotis, put forward a proposal to give the club €10,000 at last Thursday’s meeting.
“I couldn’t vote in favour of this as we really are strapped for cash and neither could some of my fellow council members, the result was a tied decision. It was three in favour and three against. The mayor voted in favour of the motion,” said Leblanc.
“The accounts director has been pleading with us not to issue any more cheques and I have been concerned that there may not be enough money to pay wages in the future; it depends on how much of the outstanding taxes are being collected.”
She said she only found out yesterday by accident that the municipality had written a cheque for €25,000 last Friday – the day after the vote – made out to the football club despite a decision not to even give them the €10,000 only a day before.
“Apparently the mayor contacted two of the councillors who were not present at the meeting, and got them to agree to the full payment,” said Leblanc.
Leblanc believes the handling of the situation was not only wrong but illegal and she has already contacted the Auditor General.
“I am making a formal complaint against these actions. As I understand it, there has to be an approved and signed minutes of the meeting in order for any payment to be made.”
“A completely different decision was taken at the council meeting and this just makes a mockery of the whole process, I won’t sit back and accept this, just because, ‘this is the way we do things here’ ” she said.
Councillors and staff were told that the municipality didn’t have enough funds in the coffers to pay salaries due in July on time, as one of its bank accounts has been frozen, and although the staff have now been paid. Leblanc was paid three weeks late and although money is trickling in, she is concerned that it still may not be enough for the municipality to meet their commitments.
According to the councillor the municipality holds two current accounts with over a €1 million overdraft racked up on each.
She said situation was caused by bad policies and bad management.
