The audit office released a report on Monday identifying widespread breaches of campaign financing in the 2024 municipal elections.

Auditor-general Andreas Papaconstantinou said practices such as privately hosted events, gatherings and “banquets” were used to obscure the real scale of campaign spending, warning that “the nature of certain expenses makes the identification and control of all election expenses practically impossible”.

The report found that seven deputy and mayoral candidates exceeded the legal expenditure limits, in what it described as a “conscious violation of the law” which risks creating inequalities between candidates.

Among the most significant cases, Limassol candidate and presently incumbent mayor, Yiannis Armeftis, declared €61,494 in expenses, exceeding the €30,000 limit by €31,494, or 105 per cent.

In Larnaca, Loukas Polykarpou spent €28,601, surpassing the €20,000 cap by 43 per cent, while Nikos Damianou in Dromolaxia exceeded his €10,000 limit by 48 per cent with total spending of €14,756.

Further breaches were recorded in Amathus, where Kyriakos Xydias spent €29,550 against a €20,000 limit, and in Kourion, where Pantelis Georgiou declared €26,893, exceeding the cap by 34 per cent.

In Paphos, Evros Loizides surpassed the threshold by 17 per cent, while deputy mayoral candidate Miltiadis Papadopoulos in Limassol exceeded his limit by nearly 65 per cent.

Papaconstantinou said the audit office has requested clarification from the chief returning officer as to whether financial penalties equivalent to the excess amounts have been imposed and whether the attorney general, George Savvides, has been informed for potential criminal proceedings.

Beyond the breaches themselves, the report highlights structural flaws which undermine the credibility of campaign finance oversight.

Of the €1.21 million in declared election expenditure, only €346,004 was subject to audit, as current legislation limits scrutiny to advertising costs.

“The majority of election spending remains outside the scope of control,” the report states, with more than 69 per cent effectively unexamined.

The reliability of declared figures is further weakened by the absence of supporting documentation.

Although all 337 candidates submitted election expense reports, 172 of them, representing 51 per cent, either failed to provide any evidence or submitted incomplete records.

Papaconstantinou warned that this “makes it difficult to verify the accuracy and completeness of the declarations”, pointing to a legal gap as there is no obligation to submit full documentation.

Significant discrepancies were also identified between candidate declarations and data provided by advertising firms.

In 73 cases, providers reported higher amounts than those declared by candidates, while 70 candidates either declared no advertising expenses or reported lower figures than those submitted by service providers.

A total of 50 companies failed to provide complete data, further complicating cross-checking efforts.

The report also points to practices suggesting deliberate concealment of costs.

Investigators identified 55 instances where invoices were issued to third parties rather than candidates or their election agents, as well as 55 payments exceeding €100 made in cash without sufficient audit trail.

There are also indications that supporters may be covering expenses directly, reducing transparency and bypassing legal limits.

Papaconstantinou warned that such practices “raise reasonable concerns regarding the effective observance of the election expenditure ceilings”, adding that the true scale of campaign spending is likely “considerably higher than declared” and that further undetected breaches cannot be ruled out.

The findings have been forwarded to the chief returning officer for examination, with the audit office calling for a reassessment of the legal framework governing election finance.