The administrative inquiry conducted by a senior official of the Interior Ministry into the Polis Chrysochous Municipality was completed yesterday and is expected to be handed over to Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou today, Friday.
According to information obtained by Politis, the investigation confirmed allegations that the procedure followed to approve the re‑hiring of hourly wage workers – which ultimately led to their permanent employment – was unlawful, as their parents, who are serving as deputy mayors in municipal districts, participated in the decision. Polis Chrysochous Municipality has a total of 14 deputy mayors.
As confirmed by the relevant minutes, four deputy mayors took part in the municipal council meeting during which the decision to rehire their own children was approved, a move that subsequently resulted in their permanent appointment. This violated fundamental principles of Administrative Law, particularly the principle of impartiality, which stipulates that an administrative body may not take part in issuing a decision when a personal relationship exists, whether by blood or marriage.
The favouritism and nepotism within the municipal council were reported to the Interior Ministry by Dervis Charalambous, the deputy mayor of Kritou Terra. Before submitting his letter of complaint to Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou, Mr. Charalambous had called on the municipal council not to ratify the minutes of the meeting in question, citing “issues of legality and ethics.” However, his warning was ignored, and at a meeting held on 2 February 2026, the municipal council approved the minutes by majority vote.
Permanent appointments without any job postings
The second issue examined was the process that resulted in the permanent appointment of the hourly wage workers in question. Although they had initially been hired for only nine months, their contracts were renewed with the votes of their parents. Once they completed twelve months of employment, they were automatically converted from seasonal workers to permanent hourly employees, in accordance with regulations governing such employment.
The problematic aspect, in this case, is that they were hired as seasonal workers but ended up in permanent posts without those positions ever being advertised. If the intention was to create permanent posts, the Polis Chrysochous Municipality should have advertised them – and they should not have been filled by the children of deputy mayors, let alone with the votes of their own parents.
Will the minister request a criminal investigation?
According to Politis, the report will be forwarded today, Friday, to Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou.
Under the legislation implemented as part of the Local Government reform, the minister has the authority to request the revocation of decisions and/or to annul municipal council decisions.
At the same time, the minister will decide whether to refer the matter to the Attorney‑General for a criminal investigation, in order to determine whether criminal offences were committed and by which elected officials.