Insider / ΚΥΠΕ
In the course of the mistakes made in the course and in the bad initial study that launched the amount of the construction cost of the Limassol stadium, the discussion focused today on the Parliamentary Audit Committee regarding the construction cost of the new stadium and the possibility of embezzling public money. There have been controversies in the Commission as to whether there was a waste of public money and whether there was ultimately a large increase in costs compared to the initial estimate.
The stadium is estimated to cost 38m euros, with an additional 10m euros for the road network around it, with the categories focusing on the large increase from the initial budget of 18m euros.
READ ALSO: New Limassol stadium: From € 15 million to € 38 (+10)
A representative of the Audit Office, Marios Petridis, initially said in his statements that the criteria set by the CMO in terms of the percentage of the subsidy had been violated and that luxuries would not be subsidized on the field such as the shelters in all the stands.
Mr. Petridis said that the above and the poor initial study skyrocketed the expenses for the taxpayers and from the few million now the cost is close to 40 million euros.
Answering a question, he said that the initial provision in the budget of the CMO for the construction of the Limassol stadium was 17 million euros, then the tender was announced for 28.3 million euros and the award, in the absence of a competitive procedure, was made to 31.3 million euros. Based on the latest estimated values, a total cost of 34 million has been approved by the KEA and is expected to reach 38 million outside the road network which will cost around 10 million euros.
The President of KOA Andreas Michailidis said that the stadium had an estimate of 29.3 million when it came out for offers and was awarded at 31.3 million euros. From there, he said that the new Board of Directors of the Organization, together with the Directorate, is in constant contact with the Audit Office and the State Aid Superintendent, with instructions from the Presidency of the Republic and the Ministry of Education, to ensure that they will be followed. all procedures so that there are no further problems.
As he said, the main problems were with the initial study, while then the Department of Public Works took over the supervision of the project.
Regarding the accusations of embezzlement of public money, Mr. Michailidis said that the CMO is at the disposal of the Audit Office to conduct any investigation, and if suspicion of embezzlement of public money is found, the Organization will be relentless. He noted that the cost of creating the road network is incorrectly added to the cost of the project. “I am sure that in the end a stadium will be delivered, a jewel of which we will be proud,” he said.
The Deputy Chairman of the Audit Committee and Member of Parliament for DIKO, Chrysis Pantelidis, said that on May 19, 2014, in a meeting between President Anastasiadis and the then Board of Directors of KOA, it was decided to build the new Limassol stadium, at a cost, as announced, 15 millions of euros.
He added that we are in February 2022, the project is nearing completion and will cost Cypriot taxpayers a total of 48 million euros, 38 million the stadium itself and 10 million the road network.
“The tripling of costs is due to the fact that this project started wrong, based on a commitment of President Anastasiadis on the eve of the 2014 European elections and was based on a hasty, hasty and bad study,” he said.
Mr. Pantelidis stated that the fact that Limassol deserves to have a new stadium, does not mean that the Cypriot taxpayers would have to pay its budgeted cost more than three times, without even clarifying the process by which the state, in the future, will get back the money it has spent.
DISY MP Nikos Sykas in his own statements said that “nothing more untrue” than the accusations of tripling the cost of construction of the stadium. He said that the invocation of an initial amount of 15 million euros was a statement of the Government Spokesman in 2014 and some people misleadingly compare it with the budgeted cost of completion of the project. The bid for the stadium was awarded at 31.3m two years ago and anything else that is said is malicious, he said.
Mr. Sykas said that the initial study was done not by the Government but by the unions and on this study an update was started to reach today, in cooperation of all stakeholders, a contract with several changes so that it can be completed. the project and to be delivered within the predetermined time and in the legal procedures.
“We will monitor and if there is, and if it is justified that there is a waste of public money, we will be here. However, we should not demonize the stadium that Limassol and the whole of Cyprus needs through political approaches “, he said, noting that apart from the GSP, there is no other stadium that can host European matches with dignity.
AKEL MP Irini Charalambidou said that the abuses of millions of euros paid by the Cypriot taxpayer and which were made due to incorrect studies and planning are not allowed. As he said, the report of the Auditor General is very clear with AKEL having registered the issue since the last Session of the Parliament as there was a “bad” study that was paid for and which did not include provisions for the southern pipeline, for the rubble.
He said that this shows the sloppiness with which everyone handled things and these sloppiness amount to millions, he said and added that 8 million euros were thrown in the air because the contractors demand them justifiably as they claim that they had no job to do. “Finally, one must take responsibility for all these abuses, inadequacies, lack of planning, lack of proper management of public money,” he said.
EDEK President Marinos Sizopoulos said that the discussion is being attempted in the wrong field, noting that the main element of the discussion is that with any mistakes made in the planning and studies, they should not lead to a diversion from the correct construction of the stadium. .
He said that what should be discussed is whether based on the existing data and the projects that have been done, the cost that will cover the construction of the stadium is justified. If the cost is not justified, he added, a serious investigation should be conducted into who is responsible for any overcrowding or waste.
Mr. Sizopoulos said that if the construction of the stadium proceeded and then there were problems with statics or else there would be huge issues as the stadium will accommodate 10 to 11 thousand fans. “If an accident happens because of these issues, then what will be the problems that will exist”, he wondered and noted that a rational approach to things should be done without populism.
The Independent MP Andreas Themistokleous in his statements focused on the issue of the management of the stadium from the moment it will be given for use. He noted that the money that was spent and will be spent for the completion of the stadium should be taken back by the state and for that a very good management should be done. He stated that the management should not be given to the groups that will use it or to the CMO, claiming that if the management is given to the groups or the CMO, the money will never be collected back.
