THE NOMINATIONS for the annual Paphos Heart of Gold Awards will close this coming Friday.

The community-based award will be presented by the patron, the mayor of Paphos, Savvas Vergas, at an event to be held at the town hall on Friday December 7.

“We would like to have as many nominations as possible this year. We need the public’s help to inform us about anyone they believe is deserving of this year’s award. There are so many fantastic people living in the Paphos district and we want to hear about them,” a spokesperson for the award said. 

There are two awards to be handed out, the Junior Heart of Gold for those under 18 and the Heart of Gold Award for adults.

The award is open to all residents of the Paphos district of all ages and nationalities and aims to recognise those individuals who are extra special in some way.

“The purpose of this award is to highlight, kind, courageous, determined people - those who may be coping with difficult situations, as well as members of the local community who work tirelessly for charity, or who have been a great help and support to neighbours and friends,” the spokesperson added.

Successful nominees will be presented with their solid gold, handmade heart, made by Aphrodite jewellers, and a certificate donated by Massiva printers, by Savvas Vergas, at an event to be held at the town hall. 

Previous award winners have included Dr Aristos Georghiou, who was nominated for his work as the medical manager of the Friends’ Hospice Paphos, Jasmitha Maharajasingh, who then aged 8, survived a brain tumour, the late Ismini Liasidou Saul for setting up and running the Margarita Liasidou foundation, Lynn Addy a dedicated fundraiser and Jordon Sideras, a plucky teenager.

“This is a great way to say thank you to those who may otherwise not be recognised for all they do.”

The spokesperson added: “We would like to say thank you to the mayor of Paphos for his support and to all of the sponsors who make this annual award possible.”

The community based award is supported by the Paphos municipality social welfare committee, Aphrodite jewellers, Massiva printers, the Cyprus Mail, the Paphos Post and Rock fm.

If you would like to nominate someone in Paphos, please send a short description of the person you’re nominating and the reasons for their nomination, along with your name and contact details to the following email address paphosheartsofgold@mail.com

The panel of judges, whose decision is final, will choose the recipients. 

THE CYPRUS Environmental Stakeholder Forum (CESF) is calling upon senior negotiators in the Cyprus peace talks to transform the island’s demilitarised buffer zone into a Peace Park to mark Wildlife Conservation Day on December 4.

Academics working with the CESF have revealed after years of research that the buffer zone is a de facto wildlife haven, sheltering mammals such as the Cyprus moufflon and countless species of flora and fauna.

Having been relatively untouched since the Turkish invasion of 1974, the buffer zone has naturally flourished. The ‘green line’ covers three per cent of the island’s surface and provides shelter and safety for some of Cyprus’ unique wildlife. This safety has come under threat in recent years according to the CESF with uncontrolled fires and illegal poaching and hunting taking place. 

“The CESF calls for resources to be provided by both communities to enforce the existing ban on hunting and trapping in the buffer zone, and encourages senior negotiators in the peace talks to consider transforming the area into a Peace Park,” a CESF press release said yesterday.

“In the event of a solution, human developments can take place in harmony with the natural environment, a space which can be devoted to joint eco-tourism and environmentally friendly activities across the divide,” it concluded.

The CESF was launched in January 2007 and is a bi-communal, multi-disciplinary coalition of environmental stakeholders advocating common solutions to island-wide environmental problems. 

To learn more about the biodiversity of the island and the buffer zone there will be a ‘Photo Exhibition on the biodiversity of Cyprus’ at the Home for Cooperation (opposite Ledra Palace) in Nicosia on December 6 from 9am until 5pm.

For more information visit www.cyef.net

FRAGMENTS of marble sculptures from a monument consecrated to the nymphs of ancient Greek and Roman mythology have been uncovered during on-going excavations at Paphos' ancient theatre, the archaeological team in charge of the dig have announced.

The 15th season of excavations into one of Cyprus’ largest ancient theatres unearthed a number of significant finds, including fragments of carved marble adornments from the stage and from a monument to the nymphs or nymphaeum.

Paphos was the capital of Cyprus in Greek and Roman times and its ancient archaeological remains are on the World Heritage List.

Of particular interest to the archaeological team, led by Dr Craig Barker and Dr Smadar Gabrielli of the University of Sydney, is that the Paphos theatre is the only ancient theatre of Cyprus not to have undergone modern restoration. As such it is a unique structure because it is the sole remaining theatre containing visible traces of its architectural development.

Investigations have revealed that the theatre underwent five phases of renovations between 300 BC and the 4th century AD, each phase representing the evolution of ancient performance and theatre architecture. Many of the architectural features were robbed in later antiquity, and the area of the site was built over in the Middle Ages.

Five trenches were opened by the team in 2012 in various locations around the theatre and the nearby Roman nymphaeum.

Trench 12A was on the eastern side of the stage building, and located the bedrock foundations of the eastern end of the Roman stage. A new entrance way leading from the south into the eastern section of the theatre was located at a lower level than a Roman period one which may provide a rare indication of the architectural layout of the earlier phases of the theatre building.

Trench 12B continued work in the area of the Roman road to the south of the theatre that began in 2010, clearing more of the road pavements and more of a medieval building above it.

Trench 12C was on the upper levels of the cavea, the underground cells where wild animals were confined before entering combat on stage, and indicates that there were significant buildings constructed on the top of Fabrika hill after the theatre was no longer in use for performance.

All areas provided new architectural information about the layout of the theatre and surrounding building, and all areas will be explored further in the future.

In parallel with the excavation, the team’s specialists continued the archaeological interpretation of the architecture for a final academic publication in the near future.

The Australian archaeological excavations in Paphos are supported by the Nicholson Museum and by the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens.

ACCOUNTANT-GENERAL, Rea Georgiou, has advocated a state-wide policy to prevent the kind of system abuse that has allowed the accumulation of €135 million in unpaid fines and other outstanding payments.

Well in advance of last week’s parliamentary discussion on the spiralling levels of outstanding fines and other payments - many belonging to politicians, lawyers, and prominent individuals who have refused to pay sometimes for decades - Georgiou had sent a circular suggesting concrete ways different government departments can collect outstanding payments.

Daily newspaper Alithia yesterday reported details of the November 5 circular sent to legal services, the personal data commissioner and the law commissioner, the public service commission and the Cabinet secretary, among others.

Some of the measures Georgiou reportedly suggested involve simply stopping a service, e.g. water supply, if arrears have accumulated. 

When the state provides a service to a municipality or an individual, such as language courses to adults or leasing a building, state officials should send a two-week notice before a payment is due, pick up the phone and talk to people, and inform them in writing how much is owed, Georgiou said. 

But before agreeing to provide services, the state should ask for a larger deposit or for the fees in advance whenever possible. 

And the state should sue anyone owing substantial amounts for over six months, Georgiou reportedly suggested. 

During a discussion in the House Watchdog committee last week, deputies - whose colleagues have been using their immunity to avoid paying traffic fines - asked for a list of the thousands of payment warrants, issued by the courts but not yet served by the police. 

This includes some 750 warrants worth €800,000 owed by lawyers, and 2,000 warrants belonging to civil servants, Auditor General Chrystalla Georghadji said last week. 

She accused the police of enabling the status quo saying that since many of the people who owed money to the state were well-known, the police could not argue that they couldn’t locate the debtors. 

The police issued an announcement the following day insisting they pursued all warrants without exception. 

The Watchdog committee heard last week that legislation was being prepared to reduce bureaucracy and enable the state to retrieve the millions owed by the public and businesses.

Back in May legislators discussed changing the constitution so they would not be immune from prosecution which some used to avoid paying traffic fines. They said that their immunity was important to their freedom to take on authority as necessary, and suggested instead that the attorney-general informs the House President so he can disseminate information to the offending parties. 

Dozens of unnamed legislators had not paid their fines, DISY MP Andreas Kyprianou said at the time, defending the two deputies from his party that were among the 54 lawmakers with unpaid traffic fines.

The accountant general could not be reached yesterday for comment. 

THOSE responsible for the sorry state of the banks should be prosecuted if necessary, the head of the bank employees' union has said.

“People need to be punished,” Loizos Hadjicostis, head of the ETYK union, told reporters yesterday.

“We should not hesitate to apportion blame...and to follow the established procedures, including criminal ones, if necessary,” he added.

He was speaking after a meeting with the chairman of the House watchdog committee which is looking into the role of the banks in the crisis that is rocking the financial sector.

The top unionist homed in on the corporate governance of Popular Bank since it came under state control earlier this year. He alleged that the bank’s board of directors is circumventing a ministerial decree calling for across-the-board pay cuts as part of broader efforts to shore up expenses.

Hadjicostis drew attention in particular to the “provocative” bonuses and allowances still being paid to bankers. Recently, he said, the head of Popular Bank’s remuneration committee approved the payment of €650 daily in expense allowances to executives during trips to Greece.

The amount was over and above the allowance for air travel and accommodation, he said.

According to Hadjicostis, once ETYK found out about this, it protested to the bank, and as a result the allowance was cut from €650 to €400.

Meanwhile, he said, cleaning ladies working at the bank on €250 a month has seen their salaries cut by €12.

Top bankers continued receiving fat salaries, he added.

In an interview with Politis published on Sunday, Hadjicostis spoke of ‘interwoven interests’ between bankers and politicians, suggesting that some bankers had secured ministerial portfolios in the government by kowtowing to political parties and granting them loans on favourable terms.

Hadjicostis went on to blame the media, claiming that they are being coerced into not reporting the true facts about the banks for fear of losing advertising fees.

In the same interview, Hadjicostis denied rumours that his two daughters had landed bank jobs due to his influence with ETYK.

He also sought to play down the fact that ETYK members served on the board of directors of Bank of Cyprus and Popular during the time that decisions were taken to buy Greek bonds that were bottoming out. That move is now under scrutiny.

In turn, Demetris Syllouris, chairman of the House watchdog committee, pledged yesterday that MPs would press ahead with investigating the actions of the banks over the past few years.

Cyprus applied for a bailout in June when the island’s two largest banks asked for state support to replenish their core Tier 1 capital after losing heavily by extensively investing in write-down Greek bonds.

The Central Bank is investigating banking activities, and investment company Pimco is currently carrying out a due diligence of the banks to determine the extent of their recapitalisation needs.

THE GOVERNMENT has begun negotiations in earnest with the companies and consortiums awarded offshore gas exploration licences.

Yesterday Commerce Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis held talks with representatives of Total E&P Activities Petrolieres, given the licence for offshore block 11.

A day earlier he had met with a team from the ENI-KOGAS joint venture picked for blocks 2 and 3.

Officials told the Cyprus Mail that talks with the consortium comprising Total, Novatec and GPB Global Resources BV (a Gazprombank subsidiary) - awarded Block 9 - would take place in early December.

The negotiations are aimed at getting the selected companies to improve their proposals in terms of both the technical and commercial facets

Full-blown talks could take weeks or months before exploration contracts are signed.

Block 9 is considered to be the ‘prime cut’ of the four prospects, having received eight bids in total.

But questions are being asked after it emerged that the government altered the order of ranking of the bids for block 9, eventually picking the Total-Novatec consortium despite its bid being graded fourth or fifth.

The government has denied anything untoward in changing the order of ranking for block 9, arguing that its final decision took into account additional parameters, such as matters of national security.

Two separate assessments of the bids were made: one by the French consultancy Beicip Franlab, the other by the energy service of the commerce ministry. But the final decision rested with the Cabinet, on the recommendation of the commerce minister.

There have been rumblings that some of the companies not picked are considering challenging the competition process.

Oak Delta NG Exploration Joint Venture, the Israeli-led group that bid for block 3 and was not picked, said yesterday it was disappointed with the Cyprus government’s decision but would not be taking legal action.

But Dr Eli Barnea, CEO of Sigma Explorations Holdings Limited - which has a 75 per cent stake and is the designated operator in the joint venture - said he is lobbying the Israeli officials to exert pressure on Nicosia “at the highest level”.

The joint venture’s proposal for block 3 incorporated the construction of a power plant on the island for exporting electricity to Israel and generating electricity for Cyprus’ local consumption, by linking the two countries’ grids.

“The project would have to be scrapped now after the bid decision,” Barnea said in a loaded comment.

“The relationship between the two nations should be reciprocal. If Cyprus is not interested in our energy security, why should we be interested in theirs?” he added.

Barnea said his joint venture’s technical proposal was graded the highest among the bids submitted for block 3 - yet the licence went to ENI-KOGAS.

“We are not saying that ENI-KOGAS should not have got a licence, they should, but so should have we,” he added.

“Cyprus should not make the same mistake as Israel when our government awarded several licences to Noble Energy and Delek, thereby creating a monopoly that drives prices up.”

As Barnea sees it, block 3 is potentially the most lucrative prospect because of its close proximity to the Cyprus shores - about 65km from Cape Greco.

Moreover, drilling there would cost far less - about US$40 million compared to US$100 million in other prospects - because of the lower sea depths in block 3.

Barnea argues that exporting natural gas is not the best option for Cyprus because the added value is not that high.

And according to the company’s own estimates, Cyprus would stand to make $10 per million BTU from exporting electricity, compared to just $3 per million BTU from exporting gas via an LNG terminal.

That’s because of the huge overheads associated with building an LNG terminal and accompanying infrastructures.

“Exporting gas is not for Cyprus,” said Barnea.

ENGOMI municipality became the latest local authority yesterday to launch a campaign to help needy families in their area.

The municipality said it will be holding a campaign from December 3 to December 17 to help residents for Christmas. The mayor of Engomi, Zacharias Kyriakou held a meeting with the representatives of the churches of Ayios Nikolaos, Ayion Panton, Panagias Makedonitissas, the church committee and the Engomi school board president, Costas Anastasiou to discuss setting up the campaign.

“The aim of the campaign is to collect as much food and as many toys for this offering of love,” Anastasiou said yesterday.

Engomi now joins a growing list of municipalities, volunteer groups, supermarkets and co-operative banks which have stepped up their efforts to help needy families, especially in the run up to Christmas. 

The municipality has made a list of the products it can accept. These include, flour, milk (condensed or long life), sugar, tins of meat, oil, pasta, chickpeas, tuna, pulses, beans, tomato paste, cleaning goods, rice and new children toys.

There will be two collection centres, one at the church of Ayios Nikolaos in Engomi and the other at the church of Ayion Panton in Makedonitissa. They will both be open from 4pm till 6pm every day for donations and on Sundays from morning mass until 11am. 

The church is also organising a campaign with the school board of Engomi to provide help to students in need. 

“The school board is currently accepting donations so they can give breakfast every day to students from all of the schools in the Engomi municipality,” Anastasiou said.

Paphos, Larnaca and Limassol municipalities have all launched programmes to ease the burden of the on going economic crisis by helping families in need.

In Nicosia, individuals and families that need help receive food packets from the church. Parish priests evaluate the applications and the archbishopric hands out the packets once a month. Currently the church does not accept any donations of food from the public, holding fundraisers and purchasing the food at wholesale prices themselves. Sources at Nicosia town hall confirmed that the local municipality are looking to create a community market like Limassol, Larnaca and Paphos but do not know exactly when.

Larnaca’s municipality uses the town’s nursing home, housed in the municipal building to accommodate the community market. A welfare committee has been set-up there, using the model first used by Limassol’s municipality to evaluate which people qualify for assistance. The market is run by two ladies that work for the nursing home and also two volunteers who go to the market every Friday afternoon, when the packets are handed out.

“We depend on the help of volunteers and donations as there is no budget allocated to this scheme by the municipality,” said councillor Elias Elia.

Every major supermarket in Larnaca now has a box where anyone who wants to donate food can contribute. People can also drop off food at the nursing home between 7.30am and 2.30pm, Monday to Friday. An account has also been set up at the co-operative bank of Famagusta for anyone who would like to contribute money to the cause.

Limassol works in the same way as Larnaca, with a welfare committee set up to evaluate applications. The community market is situated in Ayios Ioannis and people can pass by and give their donations between 11am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. E&S Kapsalou, Alpha Mega and Papantoniou supermarkets have boxes outside that people can place food in. 

The town hall also has a box placed outside its premises where food contributions can be made. Limassol’s market works exclusively thanks to volunteers from the Pancyprian Volunteerism Co-ordinative Council (PSSE) who go to the market every day to sort through donations. Two ladies from the municipality also spend their free time helping out with the organisation of the market. 

“The municipality had allocated €10,000 for this scheme but because we have received so much food and assistance from volunteers we haven’t had to touch it,” head of Limassol municipality’s social welfare department, Evie Tsolaki said. Financial donations can be put into the account that Limassol municipality has set up at the Co-operative Bank of Limassol for donations to help families in need.

In Paphos a very similar system of direct food relief works though a special account has not yet been set up.

A spokesperson for Paphos social welfare said, "If people wish to donate money to go towards helping the needy of Paphos they may bring cash to the social welfare office at the municipality of Paphos. They will then be given an official municipality receipt; this money is used towards purchasing food for the food support programme.”

She said that a food donation scheme will be taking place in all of the main Paphos supermarkets and will get underway next week.

For more information about making donations please call your local municipalities. Larnaca 24653333, Limassol 25763755, Paphos 26822270 and Engomi 22453800.

PRESIDENT Demetris Christofias charged that the truth concerning the economy has been completely twisted, as he defended his economic policy and blamed banks and the capitalist system for the global crisis.

“We should be proud of our governance,” he said in a speech on Sunday. “The factors are external: it’s the global crisis of this exploitative and inhuman system - capitalism, but also its people in our financial system.”

The president described what happened in the banks in the run up to Cyprus seeking a bailout as a “robbery”.

And he said European leaders and international lenders agreed with him that without the need to recapitalise the Greece-exposed banks, Cyprus would not have been forced to seek financial assistance.

Speaking to ruling AKEL supporters and refugees from the Kyrenia district, Christofias asked them not to be affected by the daily brainwashing, undertaken by political opponents and many media outlets.

Christofias blamed the crisis on capitalism, which causes hunger and poverty, even to people of the European Union “for which they boasted that it was a family based on institutions and the values of solidarity and respect for the people”.

The president said there was no respect and that this was proven by the millions of unemployed, the millions living below the poverty level in the EU because the neo-liberal forces want to burden the poor with the effects of the crisis.

Christofias said his administration had tried in the past few years to increase social protection and help to refugees.

“We have doubled the assistance to refugees so that they could build a house. We have effectively doubled minimum pensions,” he said.

The list of benefits the administration has brought is endless, he said, and without the theft in the banks, there would have been no serious economic problems.

“We would have had to take some structural measures to tackle the fiscal deficit, but it would have been done without the support mechanism,” Christofias said.

He added that the government had fought the troika hard to defend the workers’ basic conquests “and I think we have succeeded”.

The president said the suspension of wage indexation or CoLA is temporary and the 13th salary (for government workers at least) remained intact.

The troika had wanted both scrapped.

THE MAIN criticism levelled against the troika by all the political parties was that its bailout proposals did not include any provisions for development and growth. Every politician, who spoke in public, complained that none of the proposals focused on economic development that would lead to the creation of jobs and put the economy on the road to recovery.

It was a simplistic argument of the type our politicians love to make because it is well-received by people. 

That it has no basis in reality is another matter. First, the troika was never going to lend us money to help us get out of the recession. Its loan would be for the re-capitalisation of the banks and for the funding needs of the state, which is excluded from the international markets, with the aim of keeping them afloat. 

Were our politicians suggesting that we should be loaned an extra billion to stimulate the economy? But would this money have the desired effect or would it lead to the creation of a couple of thousand state subsidised jobs that would vanish as soon as the funding dried up?

The belief that the state can create jobs is widely held among the political class and is one of the reasons for today’s problems. The state is already paying way too much on thousands of unproductive jobs in the public sector that stifle rather than foster growth.

Our economy, thanks to powerful unions, CoLA and annual pay rises way out of line with productivity increase ceased being competitive some time ago. Unless it can become competitive again it is difficult to see how it will return to healthy growth rates and job creation. Lower wages and higher productivity would improve competitiveness, but we also need to come up with new business ventures and innovation for which we cannot rely on the state. Private initiative is what fuels growth and not the state as our politicians seem to think. 

But for there to be private initiative and investment the economy needs to be put on a healthy basis. This is what the troika measures are aimed at - making the economy healthy, which then creates the condition for real investment and growth. The economy will not return to a healthy state overnight as time is needed for the treatment advised by our lenders to work. The period of the treatment may seem long, but without the patient getting healthy again, the growth and development everyone is clamouring for will not materialise.

EMPLOYERS were in an upbeat mood yesterday after last week’s announcement that the government’s had reached a preliminary agreement with international lenders over the terms of the island’s bailout.

The employers and industrialists federation (OEV) said the agreement was a positive development, which laid the foundations for dealing with the many problems of the economy.

The measures reportedly include staggered public payroll cuts of up to 12.5 per cent, a freeze in wage indexation, followed by a 50 per cent cut after it is restored, and taxing part of the lump sum civil servants receive upon retirement. 

In a written statement, OEV said the seriousness of the economic problems and the public’s general feeling of depression can now be left behind and “we can look ahead with optimism”.

After signing the deal, Cypriots must roll up their sleeves and work hard to return to a course of economic recovery and social prosperity, OEV said.

The chamber of commerce and industry (KEVE) was equally positive saying the programme contained measures that were necessary.

“In general, many of the measures that will be taken are things we have always been saying were necessary so that state finances were put on the right track,” KEVE chairman Phidias Pilides said.

Reports yesterday said the repayment period for the bailout loan would be 30 years with a 3 per cent interest.

It is expected that Cyprus will post a primary surplus - surplus excluding interest payments on outstanding debt - in 2016, that would be enough to cover the loan’s interest payments, reports said.

Former president George Vassiliou said Cyprus is going through a difficult time but suggested that it was up to Cypriots whether the adjustment programme attached to the bailout would work or not.

Vassiliou said the programme has two aims: to tackle the structural problems of the economy and help the bank recapitalisation.

“From then on, if we are going to have recession or growth depends exclusively on us,” he told state radio.

The former president said there should not be a defeatist approach to the programme and urged politicians to take a responsible stance.

Those speaking against the bailout “will be engaging in poor populism and I am sure people will punish them come the (presidential) elections”.

Vassiliou said Cyprus should implement the deal as soon as possible, after it was signed, and even go a step further with other structural changes.

The big unions have so far appeared to accept the deal, albeit begrudgingly.

Despite the sharp rhetoric of the past few days, PASYDY, PEO and SEK have not yet spoken of industrial action.

SEK boss Nicos Moiseos in fact said it was a difficult time for the country and consensus was necessary.

“It would not serve anything to start labour unrest right now; on the contrary we will harm the economy and our country. This is not our policy,” he said.

However, OELMEK, the union of secondary education teachers, sent the others a letter asking for a meeting of all groups to look into ways of reacting.

Ruling AKEL said yesterday it would fully respect the terms of the deal, but when the debt is repaid, the party will try to restore certain rights that have been lost.

KEVE's Phidias Pilides supports measures

HOMEOWNERS at a stricken development in Armou in Paphos were left shocked and confused after a representative of the Paphos district office accompanied by the local village leader placed notices on all of the houses informing them that they were unfit to live in.
The notice states the decree shall remain in force until such time as repair works deemed necessary by the District Officer are carried out.
The Sunday Mail first highlighted the dire plight of the homeowners in March.
The six houses which make up the development in the picturesque village are still moving down the hillside and are likely to collapse completely if rains are heavy this winter. One of the houses has already been deemed unfit for habitation and has been condemned.
A number of the homeowners have begun court proceedings against the developer. All of the houses, which were only built in 2004, have serious structural problems, from slanting floors, to the partial collapse of stairs, walls, swimming pools and patio areas. Outside drains are exposed in one garden and retaining walls have split.
Yesterday, homeowner Geoff Higgs contacted the Cyprus Mail from England, where he is now living.
“We have just received a distressed phone call from our daughter who said that our homes are not fit to live in and may be demolished,” he said.
Geoff and Maggie Higgs were forced to leave their ‘dream home’ a few months ago as they no longer felt safe.
Only two homes are now occupied, one by Simon Phillips, his wife and two children. The Higgs’ daughter, Sian Sparrow, her husband Jason and two children are renting a house next to theirs to keep an eye on her parents’ property.
Jason Sparrow said: “There was a knock at the door just after 2pm and a woman from the district office and the mukhtar said they were putting notices on all of our doors. They told us that we will all have to leave and if it comes to the point of pulling the houses down and we are still here, the police will be asked to come and get us out.”
The Sparrows immediately contacted the British embassy who translated the notices for them as they are written in Greek.
Sparrow added: “We were told the notices say that the homes aren’t fit for human habitation and we must leave until repairs are carried out. Its very confusing as no timeframe is given for us to leave the property.”
When contacted by the Cyprus Mail, Evagoros Andreou of the Paphos district office planning permit department said he was unable to shed any light on the matter.
“We have given them notices within the law and I’m not advised to give out any further information. The homeowners will be sent letters tomorrow (Wednesday).”
The Cyprus Mail asked if these would be translated into English the native language of all of the homeowners, he said:  “The letters are in Greek which is the language of this country.”
The estate was constructed on land locals had long been warned was unsafe. One of the access roads to the development is currently impassable and although a second road was repaired, large cracks have again appeared.
The developer responsible for the estate is JNM, but despite repeated efforts, the Cyprus Mail has been unable to contact them.
A report by the president of Paphos’ architects and civil engineers association, Chrysostomos Italos was completed in June and has been handed over to the legal advisers of the homeowners. Italos places the blame firmly on the developer.
Armou village leader Panicos Hadjitheoris said: “I feel very sorry for these people and I will try to do what I can to help.”

DOZENS of parole applications have been shelved because qualified individuals are not interested in serving on the parole board, the House human rights committee has heard.
Earlier this week, the justice ministry informed legislators that the cabinet had not yet found anyone to replace the previous board’s members whose term expired on June 24.
The members of the previous board did not express an interest in carrying on citing “other obligations,” the justice ministry’s permanent secretary, Stelios Chimonas told the House.
The former parole board chairman Giorgos Mettouris told the Cyprus Mail that when he left in June, there were about 50 pending applications by convicts who wanted early release.
“The reason I didn’t want to carry on is because I became tired,” said Mettouris when asked to explain why he did not continue his term.
Mettouris, a 66-year-old Limassol resident, said he wanted to enjoy a “carefree life” without the worries and anxieties that come with being the chairman of the parole board.
But he said that he had suggested to the justice ministry to consider making law amendments so that they do not have to rely on former judges.
By law, the parole board needs to include one former judge.
Mettouris said that few judges retire every year, with Supreme Court judges sometimes working until the age of 68, and so it is understandable they might want to relax on retirement. “Life is short after all,” he said.
Asked whether the roughly €60 per board meeting is too low a remuneration to be enticing to judges who make more on their pension, Mettouris said that to him the fee was “neither an incentive nor a disincentive”.
“It was an honour to be asked to chair the board,” he said.
The justice ministry told the House this week they needed to discuss law amendments with the state legal services, but would not elaborate.
The first – and so far only – board was set up in 2010 after one lifer challenged the system at the European Court of Human Rights.
Until then, only the attorney-general or the President of the Republic could release prisoners early.
Asked whether he or the board were threatened or intimidated by friends or families of convicts, Mettouris said that convicts and their families were appreciative and supportive.
“The truth is that the families have been very understanding,” he said adding that the central prison management even noticed that convicts were better behaved once the parole system was in place. “I was never threatened,” Mettouris said.
During Mettouris’ term the board granted early release to seven convicts, rejected four and looked at well over 100 more applications filed by prisoners who did not fulfil the criteria and so were rejected outright.
Mettouris said that although problems and adjustments are inevitable, “the structure is there now” for whoever wants to take over.
“We started the board from scratch and successfully resolved problems such as a lack of probation officers. There was literally nothing before,” Mettouris said adding that he was sorry to go. “It was like my child,” he said.
To qualify for early release, convicts need to have completed half their sentence. Lifers need to serve at least 12 years, and those serving successive sentences need to complete 25 years.
The human rights committee has asked to be updated on the parole board in March.

ORPHANIDES supermarkets yesterday removed a massive Christmas tree that was on a parking spot reserved for the disabled, a few days after a photograph of the tree did the rounds on Facebook.
The tree stood outside a branch in Larnaca’s Skarinou, spanning two stories and taking up almost all of the parking spot for the disabled as well as some of the adjacent space, also reserved for disabled drivers.
A photograph was widely shared on Facebook after a passer-by uploaded it a few days ago.
One commenter said, “Stay classy, Cyprus” another joked, “The tree IS disabled,” while others expressed anger at the lack of respect towards the disabled.
But Orphanides apologised yesterday on their Facebook page, saying the company “recognised that such an unfortunate lack of oversight could have been avoided”.
 “We never intended to upset or inconvenience people with disabilities,” Orphanides said.
“We assure that an incident of this kind will not be repeated,” the announcement said.
Orphanides said that they had moved the tree, and thanked the public for making them aware of the situation.

The Christmas tree photograph was shared by many on Facebook

REVENUE from ship management came to €435 million during the first six months of 2012 according to statistics gathered by the Central Bank.
This represents five per cent of Cyprus’ GDP and is a two per cent rise from the same period in 2011. This is despite the global financial crisis, the bank said.
There was a large increase in revenue during 2008 and a subsequent decline in 2009 and 2010, following the beginning of the global financial crisis. Despite this decline, revenues increased again in 2011, as the industry is more dependent on countries that were less affected by the crisis than Europe.
During the first half of 2012, the ship management industry in Cyprus increased its revenues to €435 million. This represents a two per cent increase when compared with the results of the second half of 2011 (€428 million). The size of the industry, not in value added terms but as turnover, rose to five per cent of the country’s GDP, which is the highest percentage that has been observed during the last two years.
In a statement to the Cyprus News Agency, the director-general of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber, Thomas Kazakos hailed the relatively small but steady rise in the shipping industry’s contribution to the GDP.
"Considering what global shipping has gone through in recent years, during the most difficult economic period in decades in terms of the low freight market and the possibility of unsatisfactory financing by banks, the constant and increasingly positive contribution of the Cypriot shipping industry to the island's economy proves that it is one of the most important and enduring financial contributors, "he said.
Kazakos also referred to the need to restore stability to Cyprus’ economy as soon as possible. “This will restore the credibility and attractiveness of Cyprus in investment circles abroad,” he added.
He also spoke of the necessary measures for the further development of Cypriot shipping. The CFC presented their proposals to the island’s presidential candidates.
These were the creation of the position ‘Deputy Minister of Shipping’, the expansion and promotion of the shipping tax system and the immediate lifting of the Turkish embargo on Cypriot ships.
It is expected that ship registrations will increase following the recent policy changes in taxation and flag benefits by the government. This tax is considered by shipping agents to be one of the most competitive in Europe.
Revenues from ships under the Cyprus flag can potentially increase in the future given the size and importance of Cyprus’ shipping registry according to the Central Bank.
The industry in Cyprus is relatively concentrated with 30 per cent of the companies accounting for 88 per cent of the industry’s revenues.
Ship management services such as crew, technical and full management provided the majority of the industry’s revenues for the first half of 2012 with 66 per cent. Additional contributions were provided by freight with 17 per cent, chartering with 9.0 per cent and other services such as finance and logistics.
Within ship management, crew management was the most important type of service with a 53 per cent share followed by full management with a 49 per cent share.

THE JUSTICE system faces collapse if measures are not taken very soon to reduce the time it takes to process civil, criminal, administrative cases and appeals, the head of the Supreme Court said yesterday.
Supreme Court President Petros Artemis called for the appointment of 20 new judges and the establishment of an administrative court of first instance to take some load off the highest court.
In a report released yesterday, Artemis said the Supreme Court, “conscious of the serious problems afflicting the judicial service and facing the risk of the justice system in Cyprus collapsing”, appointed three of its members to study the long delays experienced in the justice system and other problems facing judges, lawyers, court staff and, by extension, members of the public. 
The three-member committee prepared a report with the aim of “shaking from lethargy” those who must take the necessary decisions as soon as possible to deal effectively with the deteriorating situation before it’s too late, said Artemis. 
The full bench of the Supreme Court approved the report.
“We understand that the recommendations contained in the report involve economic costs, but we feel, despite the crisis the country is going through, if the necessary measures are not taken in time, the system’s collapse cannot be ruled out,” said the top judge. 
Meanwhile, district court judges have en masse filed appeals to the Supreme Court challenging last year’s government decision to cut wages across the public sector by a small percentage.
Judges are citing an article in the constitution which expressly protects judges’ salaries and benefits, instead counter-proposing a voluntarily contribution of their salary (not pension or retirement bonus) to help efforts to rein in the state payroll.
According to yesterday’s report, delays in hearing civil and criminal cases in the first instance and subsequent appeals are taking on “alarming proportions”.
“The Supreme Court recognises that the problem of delays in hearing civil and criminal cases in the first and second instance is the Achilles’ heel of the courts. The phenomenon is not endemic, similar situations exist in most countries of Europe,” said the report, adding however, “The increase in time delays has recently started to take on alarming proportions.”
Efforts to expedite cases have largely proved ineffective, noted the report.
“The rapidly changing conditions in key areas of life do not leave the functioning of the courts unaffected, making the modernisation of the courts necessary to ensure their smooth and unhindered operation.”
Easy access to the courts has seen an increase in the number of cases, applications for injunctions or warrants and appeals filed, said the three-member committee.
They argue that Supreme Court judges devote much of their time to ruling on a large number of cases of first instance when they could be focusing more on hearing criminal and civil appeals, making Cypriot case law more reliable and legally airtight. 
“The proposal to establish an administrative court of first instance (which specialises in administrative law) as the most appropriate measure in the circumstances was never discussed nor was any other alternative. The creation of administrative courts will bring multiple and significant benefits. It is estimated that the time for appeals will be reduced considerably, while the preoccupation of the Supreme Court to hear appeals will contribute to the certainty of case law.”
The report calls for the following measures to be adopted as soon as possible: increase the number of district court judges and judges of other courts of first instance based on the immediate and medium-term needs; create administrative courts of first instance; and, introduce stenotype machines to keep a full record of all court proceedings. 
The Supreme Court judges referred to the maxim that delaying justice constitutes denying justice, arguing this should be a warning sign highlighting the need to take immediate measures to turn the situation around. 
To meet short-term needs, at least 20 new judges need to be appointed, with a corresponding increase in courtrooms, offices and courtroom staff. The report also highlights the state of the buildings used by the justice system and the need for the computerisation of all court services. It also calls for beefed up security at the courts with the introduction of alarm systems and metal detectors on the premises.
On a final note, the report reminds the authorities of EU law providing for appropriate training programmes for EU member state judges. 
Earlier this month, the Cyprus Bar Association held an island-wide 24-hour strike to highlight the “insurmountable” problems threatening to bring the justice system to its knees following the hiring freeze in the public sector.
President of the Bar Association Doros Ioannides warned at the time if immediate action was not taken to fill the vacant positions left by retiring judges and courtroom staff, the already overburdened justice system would collapse, resulting in “anarchy”.

 

REVENUE collected by the taxman dropped 1.0 per cent during the first ten months of this year compared to the same period last year, data showed yesterday.
Between January and October the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) collected €1.57 billion, compared to €1.58 billion during the same period of 2011
On a monthly basis, IRD collections dropped in October 2012 by 11.11 per cent or €23 million, to €184 million, from €207 million in September this year. In August, IRD collections reached €198.29 million.
 However, on a year-to-year basis, IRD collections just for October recorded an increase of 37.3 per cent, reaching €184 million from €134 million in October 2011.
Collections for January-October 2012 from the income tax of civil servants and the broader public sector recorded a drop of 5 per cent to €164.78 million, from €173.53 million in the first ten months of last year.
Revenue from the income tax of private sector employees recorded a 4.0 per cent increase during the first ten months of 2012, reaching €297.18 million from €286.62 million last year, while collections from the income tax of self-employed persons recorded an increase of 59 per cent, reaching €72.12 million, from €45.28 million for the same period in 2011.
Collections from corporate tax dropped during the first ten months of 2012 by 3.0 per cent to €547.40 million, from €566.23 million in the respective period of 2011.
Furthermore, IRD collections from the extraordinary contribution to defence dropped during the period January-October 2012 by 3.0 per cent, to €351.27 million, from €363.07 million during the respective period last year, while collections from various other taxes rose by 58 per cent, reaching €5.96 million, compared to €3.78 million in the same period of 2011.
Collections from the tax on capital gains recorded a significant drop of 22 per cent to €47.20 million, from €60.46 million during the respective period of 2011.
IRD income from stamps recorded a drop of 15 per cent to €30.03 million from €35.20 million in the period January-October 2011, while collections from other charges dropped by 53 per cent to €20.32 million, from €43.18 million. Collections from property tax increased by 85 per cent to €20.94 million, from €11.34 million.
The total IRD income during the first ten months of 2012 also included collections worth €18.95 million from the extraordinary contribution of the private and public sector to the state, as well as collections worth €3.59 million from the contribution of the public sector for pensions.
 

THE LATEST Greek debt deal, which avoided a second haircut on Greek bonds, has simply afforded more breathing space for Athens - and the same goes for Nicosia as well, analysts say.
The Greek debt deal clinched on Monday represented a compromise of sorts. Athens gets enough money to stop the country going bust, Angela Merkel has done enough to keep Greece in the euro until after next year's German elections.
After a marathon session of the Eurogroup, the European Central Bank fended off calls for it to take a haircut on its holdings of Greek bonds. To avoid another haircut, a formula was worked out cutting the interest rate on loans to Greece, and returning some €11 billion to Athens in profits from ECB purchases of Greek government bonds. Eurozone finance ministers have also agreed to help Greece buy back its own bonds from private investors.
But what would have happened to Cyprus in the event of a new write-down of Greek debt?
"It depends what kind of debt you're talking about" said Theodore Panayotou, the director of the Cyprus International Institute of Management (CIIM).
"In this particular case, what was under discussion was Greece's debt to the ECB, which has nothing to do with Cyprus and would not have impacted us," he explained.
But we're not out of the woods yet, he cautions. In the future the IMF and EU could decide a new haircut is necessary to make Greece's national debt sustainable.
And if that write-down should relate to private debt, then Cyprus would be in more hot water.
Cypriot banks hold an estimated €20 billion to €30 billion in loans to Greek private investors - individuals and businesses. Should Greece default on these, Cypriot banks' recapitalisation needs would soar by that amount overnight - a nightmarish scenario.
On the other hand, the prospect of a Greek default always looms, although Panayotou thinks the EU would never allow that to happen.
"But with Cyprus, it's a different story. We're not too big to fail, and we need to start grasping that," he said.
He said that certain EU countries, such as Germany and Finland, are "itching" to find a scapegoat among the debt-ridden nations that have applied for a bailout.
"They're looking to make an example out of someone. Being small in size and importance, Cyprus is a prime target. It's up to us to stop that."
A loan from the EU/IMF would only buy Cyprus some breathing time, says Panayotou. What the island needs to do in the long term to make its debt sustainable is improve its competitiveness.
Each year Malta attracts around €20 billion in direct foreign investment; by contrast, Cyprus draws just €900 million.
The only remaining competitive edge Cyprus has is its low corporate tax, but that is under assault from countries like Germany, he said.
Economic analyst Dr. Stelios Platis agrees that the avoidance of a Greek haircut is "not the end of the road."
To him, the real concern is whether Cyprus' debt is sustainable. This consists of two parameters: first, whether the island can pay the interest on a loan, and second its ability to pay off the actual loan in the long term.
Platis says the first part - servicing the loan - is more critical. Yet even here he thinks Cyprus should be able to cope.
"If a bailout comes to, say, €10 billion, with an interest of 3 per cent, that works out to €300 million a year in interest payments. Would we able to raise that €300 million? It can be done, because unlike Greece, Cyprus has scope for more cutbacks."

THE TOP three unions SEK, PEO and PASYDY will meet today to discuss their response to the preliminary agreement announced last week between government and international lenders over the terms of the island’s bailout.
Carefully avoiding any specific mention of industrial action, the big union bosses yesterday spoke of their “dissatisfaction” with the measures agreed by the government.
The measures reportedly include staggered public payroll cuts of up to 12.5 per cent, a freeze in wage indexation until 2016, followed by a 50 per cent cut after it is restored, and taxing part of the lump sum civil servants receive upon retirement.
According to yesterday’s Alithia, the government has undertaken to commission an independent study into the public service next year, and implement its findings in 2014.
The focus of the study will be on: organisation, staffing, terms of employment compared with other EU countries and the private sector, and a proposal to abolish free health care in the public sector, reported Alithia.
Speaking after a meeting of the union’s executive committee, SEK boss Nicos Moyseos said yesterday the aim was not to create labour unrest in the Cyprus economy.
However, SEK disagrees with the preliminary agreement because it dumps the huge responsibilities of the banks and government onto the shoulders of workers and citizens, he said. 
The memorandum will take from salaries, punish pensioners and lead thousands of Cypriots to poverty, misery and social exclusion, he added.
“SEK considers the handling of negotiations for the memorandum amateurish,” said Moyseos, in reference to President Demetris Christofias’ game of brinkmanship with the troika over whether he would sign a deal or not.
Speaking after a meeting of PEO’s executive council, PEO head Pambis Kyritsis said the bailout measures were “hard and painful”, quickly adding that they could have been worse had the government not “negotiated hard” with the international lenders.
It was not a given that the union would accept all measures or their application in perpetuity, he warned.
PEO would fight against measures to cut wage indexation by half and continuously raise the retirement age.
 

DEMAGOGUERY and populism have been taken to new heights by the presidential candidate who is supposedly offering an “alternative proposal of government” – EDEK-backed Giorgos Lillikas. The former AKEL deputy may have packaged himself as an alternative candidate, who is independent of the political parties, and answerable directly to the citizens in order to differentiate himself from the party establishment, currently at its lowest ebb, but his rhetoric remains emphatically old school.
Lillikas’ campaign messages are based on the old election principles of telling people what they want to hear, making empty promises and peddling negativity as national resistance. He is the candidate who has been telling us that he would not sign a bailout if it ceded our national sovereignty, if it envisaged the privatisation of semi-governmental organisations, and if it allowed the troika “to get its hands on our natural gas.”
So what would he have done last week if he were president and there was an immediate danger of a banking collapse because of his refusal to agree a bailout? Would he have allowed it to happen and declared that by so doing he saved our national sovereignty or would he have agreed verbally, for the sake of the economy, without having any intention of signing it?
These are hypothetical questions that Lillikas would have answered with his proposal about monetising our natural gas resources, a proposal that belongs to the realm of fantasy. But this has not stopped him from claiming that his proposal would make a bailout unnecessary and create prospects of economic recovery. He would set up a state gas company that would raise big amounts of money by selling shares or bonds to investors seeking to profit from our hydrocarbon reserves.
The superficiality of this idea defies belief, especially when we consider that we still do not know specifically what quantities of natural gas exist and whether it would be viable to extract it given the falling world price of natural gas. Lillikas the demagogue put its value at €80 billion, even though we do not even know how we would make it available – pipelines, CNG, LNG – and whether we would find markets. And the most modest estimates are that we would need eight years before we would start to receive any cash. Where Lillikas would find people to invest in this uncertainty he did not tell us.
This is because demagogues do not offer any answers or solutions. They just make empty promises in the hope of fooling the naive members of the electorate. It suffices to say that Lillikas also promises to find a solution of the Cyprus problem that would satisfy all Greek Cypriot demands.            

LAWMAKERS yesterday demanded to know the names of people – including bank executives, board members and politicians – who may have received preferential treatment in securing loans, as part of a probe into the operations of the financial sector.
MPs also want to know who had their loans written off and whether any bank board members were also linked to companies.
Attorney-general Petros Clerides suggested that it would be “practically impossible” for the information to be put together.
“Do you really expect the Central Bank (CB) or the finance ministry to give you a list that includes all those who got loans at lower interest rates from the CB, Bank of Cyprus, Popular bank, Hellenic Bank or their village cooperatives?” Clerides said.
He wondered rhetorically if it would be possible for authorities to find out from the Agros cooperative whether his mother-in-law’s fourth niece had received preferential treatment in securing a loan.
Independent MP Zacharias Koulias replied that they only wanted the information concerning Bank of Cyprus and Popular, because, they received state assistance (only Popular has received state support).
Clerides pointed out it was wrong anyway.
“Is it not wrong for someone to get preferential treatment at any other bank?” Clerides said.
Lawmakers asked dozens of questions and also made allegations and insinuations, which remained unanswered.
Committee chairman, EVROKO MP, Demetris Syllouris said all questions will be put in writing and officials can respond at a next meeting, which will take place behind closed doors.
Meanwhile, serious allegations were left lingering.
DISY MP Sophocles Hadjiyiannis asked if rumours were true that a member of the team carrying out an audit of the banks’ loan portfolios had worked as an advisor in various bank administrations and whether a member of another organisation – investigating why banks sought state support – was close to an (unnamed) banker who affected the sector.
AKEL on the other hand took a shot at former CB governor Athanasios Orphanides who allegedly received loans with a zero to 1.0 per cent interest rate.
AKEL MP Pambos Papageorgiou asked whether Orphanides had returned two laptop hard drives he had taken with him after he left the position.
“Will the CB examine the legality of the loans?” AKEL lawmaker Irini Charalambidou said afterwards. “We want to know if he will return the two drives and if it is considered a criminal offence if he does not.”
The Cyprus Mail understands that the loan Orphanides received was to buy a house. Borrowing from the CB was provided for in his contract – and those of previous governors – in order to prevent conflict of interest by going to a commercial bank.
The interest rate is in line with the rates paid by all bank employees.
Orphanides had said that the hard drives held personal email correspondence, which had nothing to do with the CB.
There was no way this data could be erased from the hard drives, the former governor said.
A statement released by his lawyers in September said: “That was the reason why, during talks between Mr. Orphanides and bank officials prior to his departure in April 2012, it was decided that the hard drives would be removed from these laptops before the latter were to be returned to the Central Bank.”
Just hours later, Fitch Ratings said it had has taken various rating actions on Bank of Cyprus' (BoC) 'BB-'/Negative, and Cyprus Popular Bank's (CPB) 'BB-'/Negative Cypriot covered bonds.
BoC covered bonds (Greek cover pool) were downgraded to 'BB-'/Negative from 'BB'/Negative; BoC covered bonds (Cypriot cover pool) were downgraded to 'BB'/Negative from 'BBB-'/Negative, CPB covered bonds (Programme I) were downgraded to 'BB-'/Negative from 'BB'/Negative and CPB covered bonds (Programme II) were downgraded to 'BB'/Negative, from 'BBB-'/Negative.
The rating actions follow Fitch's downgrade of Cyprus to 'BB-'/Negative/'B' from 'BB+'/Negative/'B' on November 21 and the subsequent downgrade of the banks.

At the House of Representatives