The Commissioner for Administration and Protection of Human Rights, Maria Stylianou Lottidi, has referred to the Attorney General the failure of the Paphos Public Works Department to assist in the investigation of a complaint, thereby violating the law and potentially committing a criminal offense.
The complaint that the Commissioner’s Office was asked to investigate concerns the adverse impact on a plot of land and a residence in the Paphos district, due to the construction of a three-story building on a neighboring plot. According to the complaint, the three-story building was constructed without observing the required distances from the complainant’s property, resulting in rainwater flowing toward the residence and causing damage.
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The Commissioner requested that the General Director of the Paphos District Planning Office submit, within four weeks, his comments and opinions regarding the above allegations, whether permits (zoning and building) were issued for the construction of the three-story building, and whether the conditions of the permits were complied with or implemented.
Furthermore, the reasons were requested as to why the permits may have allowed the construction of the building on the property line and adjacent to the complainant’s residence, as well as the measures that have been or will be taken should it be determined that the building was constructed without permits or in violation of their terms.
The Commissioner’s Office sent four letters to the Paphos EOA between August 2025 and May 2026, and in a new letter in July 2026, it reminded the Director General of the Paphos EOA of the agencies’ legal obligation to provide, upon request, any assistance with the Commissioner’s work. She requested a response within the next fifteen days and noted that, otherwise, she would summon him or his representative to appear at her Office on a specified date and time.
In a letter dated September 10, 2026, the Commissioner invited the Director General or his representative to appear at her Office on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 9:00 a.m., to comment on the allegations in the complaint and to submit the documents relevant to the complaint under investigation. As noted, neither the General Director nor his representative appeared at the specified date and time.
The Commissioner cites the legislation, according to which, if at any time during or after the investigation the Commissioner determines that a criminal or disciplinary offense may have been committed by any official, the Commissioner must refer the matter to the Attorney General of the Republic or the competent authority, as the case may be, for appropriate action to be taken.
“On October 22, 2026, neither the Director General of the Paphos EOA nor a representative appeared to testify or produce the requested documents, and as of the date of this report, the Organization had not responded to my Office’s repeated requests. “The failure of the Paphos EOA to provide the assistance requested for the investigation of the complaint constitutes a disregard for the institution of the Commissioner,” the Commissioner emphasizes.
As she notes, without the views of the Paphos EOA and the information requested from it, the Office is unable to assess the allegations, complete the investigation, and report on its outcome.
Pursuant to the relevant provisions of the law, the Commissioner referred the matter of the failure of the Director General of the Paphos EOA or his representative to appear within the scheduled time and the Agency’s failure to respond to her Office’s requests.
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Source: CNA
