Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus’ anti-corruption authority said on Tuesday that former president Nicos Anastasiades and others may be criminally liable following the conclusion of its investigation into allegations made by journalist Makarios Drousiotis in his book Mafia State.
Findings of the investigation
The authority said Anastasiades had requested that Mokas, the police’s anti-money laundering unit, investigate claims made against him by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, with the aim of clearing his name.
It said the request was made “to protect his public image and that of a private company which bears his name, in which his two daughters were shareholders”.
Concerns over institutional pressure
According to the authority, ordering such an investigation “may have led to a false public acquittal of any liability, which undermines public confidence in the impartial application of the obligations of the competent authorities”.
It said Anastasiades had “exerted institutional pressure to direct Mokas, an operationally independent and autonomous unit, to investigate the private company which bears his name and in which his two daughters were shareholders, seeking to ensure public exoneration and protection from independent, strict scrutiny”.
Timing of Mokas action
The authority said the “arbitrary nature” of the action was reinforced by its timing.
It said that while Mokas claimed it had acted of its own volition based on media reports, and had already received a referral from an audit firm regarding the relevant transactions eight days earlier, it did not take action until Anastasiades publicly requested an investigation.
