Investigation into Controversial Helicopter Lease: Audit Authority Examines Direct Contract Grant to Company Previously Terminated
The Audit Office in Cyprus is currently investigating a controversy surrounding the direct lease of a helicopter to a company whose contract had already been cancelled. This issue has gained significant attention, particularly in the context of operational problems during a recent wildfire incident when the helicopter was grounded and unavailable for firefighting operations.
Key details of the controversy include:
- Leased Company: The investigation focuses on the company that was directly awarded the helicopter lease contract despite the contract being officially cancelled. The specific company name was not provided in the search results.
- Contract Status: The contract with the leasing company was cancelled before or during the controversy, yet the lease was apparently still awarded directly without a proper competitive procedure, prompting the Audit Office probe.
- Helicopter Grounding During Wildfire: The helicopter leased under this controversial contract was grounded during a wildfire emergency in Cyprus, intensifying scrutiny around the lease arrangement due to its unavailability when urgently needed for firefighting operations.
The investigation was initiated following letters sent by George Triantafyllides, Air Taurus' lawyer, to the Attorney General, Auditor General, and Accountant General, expressing concerns about the Republic's aerial firefighting capabilities and potential danger to public safety on June 24, 2025, a month before the wildfire. In another letter dated June 20, Air Taurus offered to provide four Ka-32 helicopters for the 2025 firefighting season, each with two dedicated flight crews and 5,000-litre Bambi buckets.
The tender process for a helicopter lease covering the 2025-2027 summer firefighting seasons, with a possible extension to 2028-2029, had Air Taurus and Helis Company as finalists. However, the committee chose Helis Company, but it was later discovered that certain information presented by Helis did not match the details evaluated by the committee.
The court annulled the award on three grounds, including a discrepancy between Helis' claimed aerial firefighting capacity and the actual capacity stated in their manuals. Despite this annulment, the authorities ignored the court's decision and leased two helicopters directly from Helis Company during ongoing legal proceedings.
The helicopters were grounded at Paphos Airport when the Limassol wildfire broke out. Brief, an investigative news outlet, revealed letters from Air Taurus and its legal representatives warning of potential dangers if Helis helicopters were deployed, highlighting shortcomings, omissions, and possible interventions in the procurement process.
The Audit Office has sent letters to the Ministry of Defence regarding the direct lease of two helicopters to a company whose contract award had been annulled by the Administrative Court. The first letter was sent on July 21, two days before a deadly wildfire in the mountainous region of Limassol, and the second letter was sent on July 31, following an investigative report by Brief published on July 27.
The Audit Office aims to clarify the terms of the contract, the reason for the contract cancellation, and the current legal or administrative outcomes of the investigation. They also aim to assess the propriety of the direct award process and helicopter operational readiness during critical incidents. Once the Audit Office receives all relevant documents and correspondence from the Ministry of Defence, it will prepare a special report to be made public.
[1] Source: Brief, an investigative news outlet.
- The controversy surrounding the direct lease of a helicopter in Cyprus involves a company whose contract had already been cancelled by the Administrative Court, as the Audit Office is currently investigating.
- The company whose contract was annulled is reportedly Helis Company, one of the finalists in the tender process for a helicopter lease covering the 2025-2027 summer firefighting seasons.
- The investigation is significant, given that the helicopter leased under this controversial contract was grounded during the Limassol wildfire, which intensified scrutiny around the lease arrangement due to its unavailability when urgently needed for firefighting operations.
- The investigation by the Audit Office aims to clarify various aspects of the controversy, including the terms of the contract, the reason for the contract cancellation, the current legal or administrative outcomes of the investigation, and the propriety of the direct award process, with a focus on policy-and-legislation, politics, and general-news in the context of war-and-conflicts and Cyprus.
