Within a period of six months, the Anti-Corruption Authority issued two reports recommending that a criminal investigation be conducted into former Agriculture Minister Nicos Kouyialis.
The first case concerns the “The Land of Dreams” development in Trimiklini and specifically illegal fish farming, illegal interventions on state land and in the Kouris river, as well as the unlawful operation of a catering business and visitor accommodation facilities. In this context, a criminal investigation was requested into Mr Kouyialis for the offence of abuse of power, while the investigation is already under way.
More specifically, the report was published on 19 December 2025. The investigation on behalf of the Anti-Corruption Authority was conducted by former President of the District Court Mr Nikos Giapanas, and covered the period from 2004 onwards. In his findings, the former judge notes the following:
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Nicos Kouyialis served as Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment from 1 March 2013 until 28 February 2018. During this time, he never visited either the fish farm in Trimiklini or that in Silikou. However, he was aware of their operation due to a request by the owner for water extraction from the Kouris river.
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The owner of the fish farms had submitted a request to divert the Kouris river, before the Trimiklini dam, for the needs of the fish farm. This request was rejected by decision of the Director-General dated 8 August 2017. Subsequently, on 23 August 2017, the owner filed a hierarchical appeal against that decision, accompanied by an extensive memorandum.
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On 13 September 2017, the Minister, without following the prescribed administrative procedure, approved the hierarchical appeal, granting permission for water extraction from the Kouris river at a point above the Trimiklini dam. However, his actions did not stop there. Without any relevant request being submitted, he also approved the supply of water from the dam itself.
Responsibilities
In his report, Mr Giapanas concludes regarding the involvement of the then Minister of Agriculture:
“The final conclusion drawn is that, exercising the powers granted to him by the above law, without investigation, in a contradictory manner and without examining the various letters and issues raised, with a handwritten note and signature on the same day, he approved two contradictory permits. A reasonable conclusion that can be drawn is that he approved the hierarchical appeal without any check or investigation, exercising the authority granted to him in an entirely arbitrary and abusive manner.”
He also notes that “it is evident that the purpose of the witness (N. Kouyialis) was to approve the hierarchical appeal without any review or investigation, nor even study of the correspondence, approving with complete indifference two different and conflicting permits, which indicates that it was a pre-determined decision, entirely arbitrary and abusive. His arbitrariness is also evident from the fact that he confused matters (in his testimony), as well as from his handwritten notes, regarding whether the request concerned water from the Trimiklini dam or from the Kouris river.”
The former judge concludes that “Mr Kouyialis, exploiting his position as minister, abusively and entirely arbitrarily, and without any investigation, approved the said hierarchical appeal.”
The ongoing criminal investigation for abuse of power against Nicos Kouyialis also extends to former directors of the Department of Environment and the Department of Fisheries, Costas Hadjipangiotou and Loizos Loizides respectively.
“They granted €5 million”
The second case involving Nicos Kouyialis is recorded in the recent report of the Anti-Corruption Authority on Mafia State and concerns the granting of state land to the Archbishopric.
Specifically, on 11 July 2013, the competent Interministerial Committee for the granting, exchange or leasing of state land met, in which Nicos Kouyialis participated in his capacity as Minister of Agriculture. The committee examined a request by the Archbishopric for the granting of state land in Ayia Napa as part of compensation for church land in Engomi that had been expropriated. According to Makarios Drousiotis, the granting of state land to the Archbishopric is considered illegal or irregular, as the Archbishopric was not entitled to receive state land as compensation, but only financial compensation. Nevertheless, the request was approved as an “exceptional case.”
The Archbishopric was to receive state plots in Ayia Napa with a declared value of €5,712,000, along with an additional €280,000 to fully cover the compensation. However, subsequent Land Registry data showed that the eight plots ultimately transferred had a total value of €10,638,300 based on the 2013 general valuation, almost €5 million higher than the value presented during the decision-making process.
The others have passed away
In response to the question of why the Anti-Corruption Authority recommends criminal investigation only of the Minister of Agriculture, given that the decision was taken by an Interministerial Committee, the explanation is that the other two ministers involved are no longer alive.
Who was instructing Kouyialis?
In both cases, Nicos Kouyialis does not appear to have gained any financial or other benefit from the decisions he took, which benefited both the businessman involved in the Trimiklini development and the Archbishopric.
The question that arises, therefore, is whose instructions he was following. However, before the investigators of the Anti-Corruption Authority, he made no reference to this.
