Nicosia, Cyprus. Former civil defence chief Maria Papa left her post and took up a position at the audit office for administrative reasons, the Cyprus News Agency cited sources as saying on Friday. The sources said the secondment had been underway for days and was tied to the administrative needs of both services.
Administrative reasons cited for secondment
According to the sources cited by the Cyprus News Agency, Papa’s secondment was “not a last-minute development” but “something which had been underway for days”. They said it was “related to the administrative needs of the civil defence and of the audit office”.
Reports link move to criticism over shelters
The reports followed a Politis newspaper article which said Papa had been seconded after the civil defence faced “intense criticism over the state” of evacuation shelters across the island.
Politis reported that Papa had “been giving assurances, even in writing” to interior ministry permanent secretary Elikkos Elia and to Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou that “everything was going well with the shelters”. The report said she had stated that regular inspections were being carried out and that maintenance work was underway.
Interior minister cites findings from inspections
Ioannou said on Wednesday that almost 200 sites listed by the civil defence as evacuation shelters were unsuitable for use or no longer existed, following inspections carried out after a drone strike on the British Akrotiri air force base.
He also said a further 288 shelters were not accessible to the public and were exclusively for the use of the owners or tenants of the buildings in which they are located.
What steps do you think should be taken to ensure evacuation shelter lists are accurate and publicly accessible?
