An internal management audit of the former Agios Tychonas community council has unveiled a nightmarish picture of financial opacity — one inherited by the newly established Amathus Municipality following the local government reform.
According to the findings, Agios Tychonas’ finances had not been audited by the Auditor General since 2008. Debts amounting to €8.22 million were transferred to Amathus Municipality during the merger on 30 June 2024, while liabilities reached €5.9 million.
Among the most alarming discoveries: “manual deletion of amounts directly in the database was detected, creating a serious risk of falsification or concealment of transactions.” In 2021 alone, the discrepancy between actual receipts and accounting records reached €254,205.
Some 35% of the water supplied was not metered as consumption or billed to consumers — instead classified as “losses.” This rate significantly exceeds those of major urban networks. Beach kiosk rental debts reached €2.57 million, while five leisure centres operated on state land within the coastal protection zone without any planning or building permits.
To cap it off, days before the reform took effect, the community council pushed through salary increases and staff promotions in direct violation of Interior Ministry directives.
Amathus Mayor Kyriakos Xydias is demanding an in-depth audit covering the years before the reform. The Audit Service has already documented serious fiscal violations, illegal coastal developments, and indications of abuse of power.
