Doubt cast on Fidias using Limassol property for work

Information on Monday appeared to refute assertions by MEP Fidias Panayiotou that he uses a property in Limassol – mostly paid for with European Parliament funds – as office space.

Daily Politis got hold of the lease on the property, located in Polemidia, Limassol.

It’s a four-bedroom house, with a swimming pool and a garden.

The lease explicitly states that the property is to be used for owner occupancy.

The monthly rent is €2,300.

When the story first broke last month, alleging that Panayiotou tapped into European Parliament funds to cover a lavish lifestyle, the MEP issued a rebuttal via a video on TikTok.

Denying any wrongdoing, he said the property in question is office space, which he and his team use to film podcasts. He had informed the European Parliament of this, he added.

Panayiotou said that of the €2,300 rent, €1,600 is paid by the European Parliament, while he supposedly covers the remaining €700.

The MEP added that he resides with his fiancée in a separate property in Limassol, which they rent for €1,200 and pay for with their own money.

Panayiotou dismissed the story as a smear campaign against him “because elections are coming up”.

In the clip, he went on to sardonically thank whoever was spreading this “fake news” as it allowed him to set the record straight.

The case of alleged embezzlement is reportedly being investigated by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office – although the office won’t comment.

The matter was first reported to Cyprus’ anti-corruption authority, about two months ago. Having looked into it, the Cypriot body passed on the information to European authorities.

Contesting the upcoming parliamentary elections will be the new political party Direct Democracy, founded by Panayiotou in October 2025.

In the June 2024 elections for the European Parliament, 25-year-old Panayiotou ran as an independent, garnering 71,330 votes and winning a seat.

His YouTube channel has 2.67 million followers.