Controversy over rent of Lapithos church

Controversy has surfaced in the north over payments made to a private company for the rent of the Ayia Anastasia church in Lapithos, which currently operates as a nursing home.

Opposition party CTP ‘MP’ Dogus Derya said on Monday that while the building and its land is administered by the Foundations Administration (Evkaf), the ‘government’ has been paying “rent” to the tune of £5,800 (€6,674) per month to a private individual for the property since 2011.

She added, “a fully-fledged nursing home could have been built with the money paid to this private individual so far, which comes to £800,000. That is 28 million TL if calculated at today’s exchange rate.

“Why is the contract with this private individual being kept a secret? The state’s resources being wasted in this way actually means services are being stolen from the public,” she added.

Evkaf general manager Ibrahim Benter responded on Tuesday, saying the church had been given to a private company by the name of Sanpa Ltd on a 30-year lease in 1998, “for touristic purposes”.

He added that when the ‘government’ later saw it fit to convert the church’s grounds to be used as a nursing home, they then effectively sublet the church back to themselves.

He added, “a private individual invested in the location … and the rental price was determined based on the investment made.

“The idea that he bought it from the state for one lira and rented it for two is wrong,” he said, adding that for the 12-month period starting April 1 this year, the rental fee paid for the church is £2,000, plus a £150 usage fee.

Meanwhile, Derya also pointed out the problems faced by nursing homes in the north, saying six or seven people apply to move into the nursing home in Lapithos every month, but are rejected because there are no available rooms.

She said the ‘government’ provides no incentive for private nursing homes to open, and that other problems such as shortages of medicines and disruptions in the schedules of visits from medical professionals are plaguing the home.