The Public Service Commission suspended three employees from the Department of Forestry, following a letter from the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Maria Panayiotou, regarding the procedures followed in a tender for aerial firefighting equipment.
As CNA is informed, the decision of the EDY was immediate, since the Minister's letter was sent on Friday morning and by noon the employees had already been informed by the EDY that they were being placed on temporary leave.
According to information, the request for the availability of the three employees is related to the criminal investigation being conducted by the Police on the matter.
The Ministry had announced on Wednesday that, based on the findings of an administrative investigation, the Cyprus Police had initiated a criminal investigation into the procedures followed in a Forestry Department Competition for aerial firefighting equipment.
The administrative investigation, which was carried out on the instructions of the Minister, following a written complaint received, covered all contracts (leases, maintenance, etc.) from 2017 onwards, in order to reveal actions, acts or omissions, from which disciplinary offenses or even criminal offenses may arise.
The report of the administrative investigation was submitted on December 6, 2024 to the Minister, who forwarded it to the Legal Service of the Republic. Following an evaluation of the data, the findings of the investigating officer were forwarded to the Police for further investigation, while on Friday the EDY was requested to suspend the three officers who appear to be involved.
As the Ministry noted in Wednesday's announcement, the Republic of Cyprus' procedures for the flight program are continuing smoothly.
Source: KYPE
