Haris Sophoclides
Haris Sophoclides is the multi-millionaire president of the Greek Cypriot Brotherhood. He is the owner of J&P Ltd, one of the largest property and construction firms in the Middle East[1].
The Greek Cypriot Brotherhood gave over £5,000 to the Labour Party in 1997[2]. Haris Sophoclides pledged £1,000,000 in March 1999[3] and acted as a conduit for Greek businessmen to make a £10,000 donation to John Prescott's "private office" before the 1997 election[4].
His business empire has a turnover of more than £500 million a year, building hotels, airports, hospitals and military bases all over the world. He has been a friend of the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, for many years. His son, Tony has been a parliamentary researcher to John Prescott since 1994 [5]. Prescott spent holidays at Sophoclides' exclusive Thera estate in Cyprus in August 2000, 1998 and in 1997 (ibid.)
Haris Sophoclides is also President of the World Federation of Overseas Cypriots, President of the National Federation of Cypriots in Great Britain and Vice-President of the World Council of Hellenes Abroad [6].
Sophoclides is listed as the commons researcher for Alan Meale MP, a minister at Prescott's DETR who has been on 11 free trips to Cyprus paid for by the Greek Cypriot Brotherhood and other organisations. Meale sparked calls for an investigation by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner in 1998 after he lobbied on behalf of millionaire Greek Cypriot businessman, Tony Kleanthous (the owner of Barnet FC) in a proposed £14 million sports complex development on green-belt land in Barnet [7]. Meale is MP for Mansfield, which is 140 miles from Barnet.
References
- ^ Greek Cypriot Diaspora Haris Sophoclides, Accessed 28th August 2007.
- ^ The Independent Donations of more than £5000 pounds to the Labour Party, Accessed 28th August 2007.
- ^ The Telegraph Revealed: Labours paymasters, Accessed 28th August 2007.
- ^ The Independent Wild about Harry, Accessed 28th August 2007.
- ^ Turkish Cypriot Network Haris Sophoclides, Accessed 28th August 2007.
- ^ Ministry of Foreign Affairs Overseas communities, Organisations, Accessed 28th August 2007.
- ^ BBC News Minister faces questions over property deal, Accessed 28th August 2007.
