Significant developments unfolded in recent hours in the case of suspended Paphos Mayor Faidonas Faidonos, who was summoned to testify at the Crime Investigation Department (TAE) in Nicosia as a suspect in a felony offence.
Mr Faidonos arrived at the TAE accompanied by two lawyers, Epaminondas Korakidis and Christos Pourgouridis. The hours-long interrogation focused on an alleged rape reportedly committed in 2014, as well as a domestic violence case. According to reports, investigators sought guidance from the Legal Service on how to proceed.
Notably, upon the suspended mayor’s arrival at the TAE, a member of his entourage threatened a television crew present at the scene, warning that legal action would follow if footage was recorded.
In parallel, the Ministry of Interior launched an on-site inspection in Paphos concerning the municipality’s management of Turkish Cypriot properties, with the suspended mayor at the centre. According to evidence, the Paphos Municipality held Turkish Cypriot land spanning 21,424 sq m for over five years without implementing the planned parking construction project.
The Advisory Committee on Turkish Cypriot Properties decided in April 2025 to terminate the relevant contract and rejected the municipality’s request for an additional eight plots — six of which were being used by a displaced person to cultivate olive trees.
Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou, in a reply letter to Mr Faidonos, dismissed all claims of “external interference,” noting that the Guardian has signed 110 lease agreements with Paphos Municipality — 50 of which in the last five years. According to the Ministry’s investigation, of the 31 contract violations identified across Cyprus, 18 (58%) involve Paphos Municipality.
