Nicosia, Cyprus. Lawyer Achilleas Demetriades on Wednesday called for sweeping reforms to Cyprus’ anti-corruption framework, saying the independent anti-corruption authority should be given greater powers and that an independent prosecutor should be appointed in the Mafia State case.
His comments followed the government’s announcement that it plans to appoint independent criminal investigators after findings by the anti-corruption authority in the case, which is expected to be referred to the legal service in the coming days.
Call for stronger powers
Demetriades said the current framework is inadequate for handling complex corruption investigations.
“The anti-corruption authority is toothless, and we should give it teeth,” he said.
Concerns over case handling
He said appointing independent investigators alone would not resolve concerns over the handling of allegations involving former president Nicos Anastasiades.
Demetriades said this was particularly the case after attorney-general George Savvides and deputy attorney-general Savvas Angelides recused themselves from involvement because of their connections to the Anastasiades administration.
Institutional conflict of interest
According to Demetriades, the conflict of interest extends beyond the two senior officials and affects the institutions within which the investigation will proceed.
He said his comments were not directed at the competence or integrity of legal service personnel.
“The problem will still exist,” he said, referring to a situation in which independent investigators would ultimately report their findings to the attorney-general’s office.
Proposal for an independent prosecutor
Demetriades said that, in addition to independent investigators, an independent prosecutor should be appointed to direct the investigations, provide advice, and ultimately present the case in court.
He suggested that the attorney-general could appoint Australian judge Gabrielle McIntyre and three Cypriot members of the investigative team that prepared the anti-corruption authority’s findings — Charilaos Chrysanthou, Orestis Nikita, and Andreas Efthymiou — saying they are already familiar with the evidence and issues involved.