Paphos People

This is a topic that has been bugging me for a while, so thought I would see what everyone else's opinions on the subject are.

Put simply, is Cyprus as a country disproportionately blighted by accepted corruption by many of the authorities? It seems barely a day passes without some tales of backhanders to and from developers, new visitors to the island being liberated from their hard-earned by dubious characters etc, and yet no-one seems to bat an eyelid anymore, which suggests to me we've all just learned to accept it.

Example: a friend of mine was involved in a car crash, clearly the other party's fault (drive straight out of a junction into the side of him). Problem is, the other party was Cypriot, and when the police turned up they chatted away in Greek to each other before informing him it was clearly his fault and would be reported as such.

He tried to stand his ground, but was informed that any attempt to challenge the decision would result in lengthy, expensive court proceedings, with the likely result of the same ultimate outcome anyway. So he took the blame and walked away, and from other stories I've heard this is a far from isolated incident.

Does anyone else have similar stories? Is this kind of thing something we just have to accept as "guests" in another country, or should we all be shouting a lot louder to do something about it?

I agree with what you're saying here but I've always said you always get ripped off no matter where you are:

In this country the people rip you off, in the UK its the government

So whats the difference, at least here you see the face thats ripping you off

Pete

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Pete

Too many big & confusing words in that post mate, can you lay it out in laymans terms please

Sol

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"My name is my nature"

Sorry to have to say it.. but yes ! the place is rife with it..
I have lived in cyprus for about 10 years now..
It goes on all the time..

you could literally get away with murder here..

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REACH 1000`s of PAPHOS CUSTOMERS EVERY DAY FOR A FRACTION OF WHAT THE OTHERS CHARGE
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Whilst the optimist and the pessimist argued that the whisky glass was either half full
or half empty ? .
I drank it .....
The opportunist..

Cyprus is my host country, but I am not a guest. I work and contribute to the economy. I am also pig-headed and would have told them to take me to court. I know a good solicitor.

Cyprus is in the EU. We are all EU citizens.

Vee.

I'm glad to see it isn't just me.

It can get you down from time to time, but it's best to try remember the positives that brought us here in the first place.

And I agree wholeheartedly with Vee about all being EU citizens, but sadly I don't think this is an attitude we'll find shared by many of the resdient population.

Don't think for a moment mind that I'm restricitng this observation to the Cypriots - the majority of rip-off merchants I've encountered here have actually been from the UK, so it's either the culture that attracts them, or that people with capacicty for dishonesty will act accordingly wherever they are - I suspect the latter.

Personally & this is truely my own opinion, but when people come over here, they see the Cypriots getting away with murder (not literally) & think that they should be able too, so even the Brits change the way they would have been in the UK, just because they can

It come down to the way the law is, its slack & too many people, Brits included, know this & will do what they can to get what they want, even if it means breaking what laws there are