Decision pending on CY nepotism allegations

THE CABINET is yet to take any decisions on the issue concerning this issuing of a Eurocypria cargo contract to a relative of Cyprus Airways chairman Constantinos Loizides, the government spokesman said yesterday.

The matter emerged a few days ago following reports that the contract was won by a company in which relatives of Loizides participate. Eurocypria is a subsidiary company of CY.

Government spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said the issue had been discussed by the cabinet yesterday but no decisions were made.

“There are some aspects still under investigation and when all questions are answered then there would be further discussion,” the spokesman said.

Asked whether Loizides should resign, Chrysostomides said he could not comment further until the matter was fully investigated.

He noted however that President Tassos Papadopoulos had a clear political position that the involvement of relatives or the board members themselves should be avoided in tender procedures or deals with companies in the state and wider public sector.

When a journalist observed that the President should have known about the various relationships, which became public, Chrysostomides said: “I do not think the President of the Republic knows or should know everything done in the framework of the business activity of a company such as CY”.

Chrysostomides did not rule out the possibility of decisions, which would define the framework of operation of the boards of directors in light of the recent revelations.

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.