The Anti-Corruption Authority is expected to release its findings by Friday on the controversial Land of Dreams development in Trimiklini, a case that may have implications for former ministers who served during the Anastasiades administration. According to information available to Politis, the authority’s conclusions could mirror those of the Audit Office, which documented extensive illegalities and raised the prospect of criminal offences.
Speaking recently on Politis Radio, Transparency Commissioner and head of the authority Haris Poyadjis confirmed that the institution will publish its decision before the end of the year. The development has been under scrutiny for allegedly operating illegally for years.
If the authority adopts the Audit Office’s findings, included in a report published on 13 December 2023, the case may extend to apparent acts or omissions that could amount to criminal wrongdoing involving former cabinet members.
Years of unlicensed activity
According to the Audit Office, the Land of Dreams complex operated without the required permits since 2012. Its investigation identified a series of serious violations, including illegal fish farming, unauthorised interventions on state land, works within the Kouris riverbed and diversion of water to service the fish farm’s unlawful facilities. It also documented the illegal operation of a restaurant, as well as recreational and accommodation facilities for visitors.
Former ministers examined
On 30 November 2023, the Anti-Corruption Authority announced that it would launch its own investigation following a session of the House Environment Committee in October and an on-site visit to the location. The authority appointed former district court president Nikos Yiapanas as investigating officer, with a mandate to determine whether acts or omissions over time create reasonable suspicion of corruption by state officials or public servants.
The inquiry placed under review actions by the Ministries of Agriculture and Interior, the Deputy Ministry of Tourism and a wide range of state departments, including the Department of Agriculture, Veterinary Services, Water Development Department, Department of Fisheries, Limassol District Administration, Town Planning Department, Land Registry and the Cyprus Agricultural Payments Organisation.
Among the issues examined was a finding by the Audit Office referring to a possible illegality committed in 2017 by the then Minister of Agriculture. During the relevant period, from March 2013 to February 2018, the portfolio was held by Nicos Kouyialis.
According to the Audit Office, the minister approved a water-abstraction permit to supply the illegal fish farm facilities, without providing justification for the decision. This was contrary to administrative law requirements. The approval led to the Water Development Department authorising temporary diversion works in the river, installing a plastic pipeline and later issuing a retention permit and water-use licence, despite a complaint about illegal interventions at the site.
Disciplinary questions remain open
The Audit Office recommended disciplinary investigations against public servants involved in the case. No such investigations began because the Anti-Corruption Authority had already launched its own probe. The Audit Office’s findings were incorporated into Yiapanas’s review and further action is expected once the authority makes its final position public.
The Audit Office also requested that the Limassol District Administration report the supervising engineer to ETEK and file a complaint against the project contractor with the Council for the Registration and Control of Contractors.
Despite the gravity of the findings, the Audit Office stressed that its report should not be interpreted as assigning guilt or alleging criminal acts against any individual. Decisions of that nature fall to the competent investigative and judicial authorities.
The Anti-Corruption Authority’s conclusions, expected by the end of the week, will determine whether the case remains an administrative matter or whether it crosses into possible criminal liability for former officials.