Greek Cypriot Attorney-general (AG) Costas Clerides on Monday called on any member of the public to come forth with information on the Marathounda and Koshi landfill scandals, provided however that their evidence can be documented.
The AG was asked to weigh in on the political maelstrom raging since the weekend, after daily Politis – piggybacking on statements made by Paphos Mayor Phedonas Phedonos – ran a story claiming that the late former Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos and top aides had held three meetings with Greek businessman Georgios Bobolas, in Athens and at Strakka, the Papadopoulos family’s ranch outside Nicosia.
Bobolas is the father of Leonidas Bobolas, CEO of contractors Helector. Leonidas Bobolas is currently fighting an arrest warrant issued by South Cypriot authorities in connection with the scandal involving two waste management facilities in Paphos and Larnaca, in the South Cyprus which have so far seen 12 suspects indicted.
Asked by the Greek Cypriot News Agency to comment on the Paphos mayor’s latest allegations, the Greek Cypriot AG said anyone with evidence on the case should come forward.
“I expect that Mr Phedonos or anyone else in possession of evidence on the case should provide this evidence, in detail and in a documented fashion, in a deposition to investigators, and they should rest assured that their information shall be investigated,” he said.
But the AG sidestepped the original question put to him, which was whether Phedonos has already provided this information to authorities. Phedonos’ latest broadsides implicated not only Papadopoulos, but also top aides, specifically then-Presidential Commissioner Polakis Sarris and Chrysis Pantelides, Papadopoulos’ right-hand man.