DEFA denies conflict of interests

The Natural Gas Public Company (DEFA) said on Tuesday the board had examined claims of a conflict of interest following media reports but had unanimously found that no member of the board of Directors had knowledge of any such conflict.

“The legality of the whole process in relation to the tender has not been affected in any way,” it said.
DEFA, currently in the midst of negotiating a contract worth some $4bn for the supply of interim natural gas, became embroiled in the conflict of interest claims last week when the Sigma news network said it was in possession of emails and minutes of DEFA meetings showing that a member of the DEFA board was a partner in a company active in the energy industry.

It said this person sought to arrange a meeting between a client of his own company and Vitol, the company that is now the top contender to land the massive DEFA tender.

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.