The Supreme Court has turned down the Mayor of Paphos, Phaedon Phaedonos’s request to suspend his leave from duties.
This decision was made on February 11, 2026, during an appeal by the mayor against the Ministry of Interior. He wanted to cancel a notice published in the Official Gazette on February 5, 2026, which put him on leave starting from that date.
In his request, Mr. Phaedonos asked for a temporary order to pause the decision until the main appeal is heard. He argued that there were clear reasons for this, mentioning obvious illegality and potential harm.
The Court decided there was no reason to issue a temporary order and rejected the request. The main appeal by Mr. Phaedonos is still pending and will be looked at later.
However, the Court stated that the ongoing investigation is serious. Allowing the mayor to stay in his role while a criminal investigation is happening would not be in the public’s best interest. The decision noted that the Cyprus Police are looking into a complaint involving a felony that could lead to a prison sentence of three years or more. According to the law, in such cases, the mayor must be placed on leave from the date of the notification.
With information from CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY
