The Larnaca District Court on Thursday remanded municipal secretary Lefteris Empedoclis for eight days to facilitate police investigations. The 55-year-old is suspected of being involved in bribery, the illegal acquisition of assets, corruption and money laundering.
Empedoclis was arrested on Wednesday after Theodosis Chrysostomou, a businessman who owns a night-club in the Mackenzie beach area in Larnaca told CID that due to irregularities found at his establishment, he paid the municipal secretary €35,000 in cash to make sure the problem was ‘settled’. The money was never received by the municipality and no procedures were initiated to correct the irregularities since September 2015 when Chrysostomou paid the money.
As came to light in court on Thursday, in 1988 Theodosis Chrysostomou, a permanent London resident, bought eight of nine flats in an apartment block located in Larnaca’s Mackenzie area. Eight years ago he bought a restaurant located on the ground floor of the building which consisted of three adjacent shops which now serve as a restaurant and rented to various people.
At the time of the purchase the restaurant had a steel pergola which covered the entire front of the building. The area was used as an extension of the restaurant. Chrysostomou used the pergola as a veranda for the first floor of the building.
According to the existing legislation all additions to the restaurant are illegal, while Chrysostomou believed the expansion of the restaurant was legal because he was paying an amount to the management committee of the building as rent for the use of the public spaces.
When the owner learned the extension was illegal he arranged a meeting with the Larnaca mayor where Empedoclis was also present.
At the meeting, it was suggested that Chrysostomou pay a fine of € 15,000, but he said he needed to think it over. A few days later the municipal official told him the fine was €35,000.
Chrysostomou produced evidence in the form of bank statements that he withdrew the money on September 8, 2015. He allegedly handed it over to the suspect but did not get a receipt.
About three weeks ago Chrysostomou was informed that he had to appear in court in connection with the case. When he asked Empedoclis what would happen he reportedly replied “the papers will come back to me and I will arrange it”.
When he was arrested on Wednesday morning Empedoclis reportedly said: “That man must be mistaken.” Larnaca municipality is already in trouble with the law as Mayor Andreas Louroudjiatis was arrested in March in connection with investigations into the operation of the Paphos and Koshi waste management plants.
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