Trimiklini fish farm case sent to police for further investigation

The anti-corruption authority’s report, flagging possible criminal liability over water extraction and an illegal fish farm near Trimiklini, had been referred to the attorney-general last month and is now in the hands of the police for further investigation along with “extensive evidence”, a representative from the attorney-general’s office told the Cyprus Mail on Friday.

The report flagged potential criminal liability for former agriculture minister Nicos Kouyialis and two former department heads over the irregular approval of water extraction from the Kouris river and permits for an illegal fish farm near the Trimiklini reservoir.

The authority’s report had been received at the attorney-general’s office on December 22.

“We examined the report and we sent it to the police along with the evidence accompanying it […] for further investigation, as various aspects of the case are already under investigation,” the representative said.

A report had initially been compiled by the auditor-general, on the basis of which criminal investigations were initiated. The criminal investigation covered various issues.

“We were asked to take into consideration all the evidence sent to us by the police. The police had taken testimonies and reached conclusions. This has already happened and the report and evidence have been referred to the chief of police,” the Law Office representative explained, adding that the evidence was “extensive”.

“The evidence is extensive. It is not just a box file. There is a lot.”

The representative added that there was no timeframe in which the police must conclude investigations.

“The aim is to wrap it up the soonest possible,” the representative added.

The issue resurfaced this week after MP Irene Charalambides criticised the Law Office, accusing it of “selective inactivity”. Her comments followed remarks by Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou, who told Phileleftheros that a series of government actions landed on deaf ears at the Law Office of the Republic.

Charalambides specifically referred to the Trimiklini case and on Thursday submitted a parliamentary question, asking Ioannou to clarify decisions taken at an October 2024 meeting at the Law Office, attended by the incumbent agriculture minister, and to outline the interior ministry’s next steps.

On December 19, 2025, the anti-corruption authority issued its report, flagging possible criminal liability for Kouyialis and two former department heads over the irregular water extraction from the Kouris river and the licensing of the illegal fish farm near the Trimiklini reservoir.

The department heads named are Loizos Loizides, formerly of the fisheries department, and Kostas Hadjipanayiotou from the environment department. The authority also pointed to possible criminal liability for seven other individuals, two of whom are implicated in multiple cases.

According to the report, Kouyialis approved a special appeal allowing water extraction from the Kouris river upstream of the Trimiklini reservoir without following due process. He also authorised water supply directly from the dam, despite no such request having been submitted.

As regards the two department heads who issued licences, the report states that “essentially, they knowingly, intentionally and deliberately bypassed all legislation and regulations, relying on the positions they held as directors of the respective departments, and completely arbitrarily and in abuse of their power, coordinated between themselves to issue the fish farm establishment and operation permit.”