At the Disciplinary Council for Elected Local Government Representatives, in Courtroom D of the Athens Court of Appeals, on Friday, May 22, the President of the Committee on Local Property of Kythira and Antikythira (EEPKA), Evangelos Venardos, was present on Friday, May 22, in Courtroom D of the Athens Court of Appeals. His referral, which concerns the offense of serious breach of duty (due to intent or gross negligence) for the construction of road networks without any of the required permits, raises serious questions about the procedures for carrying out projects on the island, putting him at risk of being removed from office.
In accordance with journalistic ethics and in order to present the views of all parties involved, we attempted to contact Mr. Venardo so that he could provide us with his own account of the rapid developments and the charges. As of this writing, we have not been able to reach him. We are awaiting his official statement, which we will publish as soon as it becomes available.
The case file was forwarded by the relevant Local Government Oversight Department of the Decentralized Administration of Attica to the Disciplinary Council on the 1stη April 2026, in order to issue an opinion «whether or not to suspend the committee chair from duty for a serious breach of duty, as well as the duration of such suspension, or to remove him from office».
The referral is based on an Audit Report by the National Transparency Authority (NTA). As indicated in the relevant document, the President is being charged with a breach of duty «due to fraud or gross negligence» in connection with the execution of road construction projects.
Specifically, the document states that during the 2020–2021 period, even though there were contracts for mere «maintenance and improvement,» the President proceeded to the construction of entirely new roads from the Moudari Lighthouse to the Signal Station, as well as in the area of Routsouna Beach, without following the procedures for awarding a public works contract.
Furthermore, the text of the referral states that these projects were allegedly carried out without the required permits having been issued. Specifically, the following are cited as missing:
- Permit for intervention from the Forest Service, for work within a forested area.
- Opinion of the O.F.Y.P.E.K.A., due to an intervention within the Natura protected area
- Preliminary Approval from the Ephorate of Antiquities of Piraeus and the Islands, to supervise the excavations.
- Environmental Permit.
The hearing and Sophios's statement
Anargyros Sofios, the leader of the minor municipal faction «Free Kythira,» was present at the Athens Court of Appeals, where he observed the proceedings. With his public video statement outside the courthouse (see below), Mr. Sofios highlighted three points from the defendant’s defense:
- Claim regarding volunteering: According to Mr. Sofios, Mr. Venardos claimed that he is a volunteer and receives no compensation. The opposition leader refuted this claim, noting that his expenses are regularly posted on the «Diafania» transparency portal.
- Involvement of the Municipality of Kythira: Mr. Sofios claimed that, during his testimony, the President stated that all of the Local Authority’s bureaucratic procedures are carried out by the Municipality of Kythira. According to Mr. Sofios, this implies full coordination and raises questions about the role of the municipal authority.
- Licensing Issues: Finally, the defendant reportedly claimed before the judges that no permits were required for these specific road projects.
The disciplinary board's decision is expected in the near future.
It should be recalled that the administration of the Local Property Authority had found itself at the center of a fierce controversy in late 2025, following criminal complaint filed by surveyor G. Syrmalis regarding the legality of the work, a fact that had caused EEPKA's legal counterattack and the the complainant's response.
Below is the video of Sofios' statement from Friday, May 22, 2026:
