Serious allegations of nepotism and unlawful procedures have been raised over recent recruitment decisions at Polis Chrysochous municipality, with Kritou Terra deputy mayor, Dervis Charalambous, filing a formal complaint to the interior ministry and the auditor-general on Wednesday.

Charalambous claims that the municipal council approved the appointment of several employees, including four whose fathers serve as deputy mayors, with those same deputy mayors allegedly participating in votes despite having a direct conflict of interest.

 He described scenes of intense disagreement during the most recent council session on Tuesday, saying the issue “raised matters of legality and moral order”.

In his letter, Charalambous said he had urged the municipality not to ratify the minutes of the disputed plenary session until concerns were addressed.

Despite this, he said that on Monday the council proceeded to ratify decisions related to the consolidation of hourly-paid workers, including the participation of relatives in the voting process.

He argued this amounted to “criminal offences” and left him with no option but to report the matter to state authorities.

“I will not become an accomplice in these illegalities,” Charalambous said, adding that he would not attend further municipal council meetings until the legality of the procedures is restored.

The dispute centres on the employment status of seasonal workers initially hired for general duties under salary scale E5–6, a progressive hourly rate for specialised positions, as opposed to monthly-paid civil servants on salary scale A.

According to the complaint, a vote held in February of last year, examined whether those workers should remain in their posts or whether new positions should be advertised through an open recruitment process.

The council reportedly split evenly, with eight deputy mayors supporting a new competition and eight favouring retention of the existing staff.

The mayor cast the deciding vote, allowing the workers to remain.

Charalambous also alleges that the workers’ contracts were unlawfully extended beyond the nine-month limit.

He said that during a meeting last December on the forthcoming municipal budget, a proposal was introduced, following requests from trade unions SEK and PEO, to permanently appoint seasonal workers who had completed 12 consecutive months of service.

He argued that reaching the 12-month threshold was itself the result of an illegal extension.

The issue intensified at the latest council meeting, where the permanent appointment of 17 seasonal workers was approved after some councillors left the chamber.

Charalambous claims that the four deputy mayors whose children were among the appointees remained involved in the process.

He also alleged that detailed voting minutes were not circulated, with only the mayor’s declaration of a majority decision communicated.

Asked whether the employment of relatives of deputy mayors or even the mayor is permitted, Charalambous said the matter went beyond legislation.

“It is primarily an issue of decency and political ethics,” he said, adding that the law clearly prohibits parents or other first-degree relatives from participating in votes that directly concern their children.

Mayor Yiotis Papachristofi declined to engage with the substance of the allegations, saying he would not comment on the issue.

“Everyone has the right to react and do whatever they so wish,” he said, maintaining that there was no irregularity in the recruitment process and that anyone who believes otherwise is free to submit a complaint.

The matter has now been placed before the interior ministry and the auditor-general,Andreas Papaconstantinou, who are expected to assess whether conflicts of interest and procedural violations occurred during the council’s decisions on municipal hiring.