Nicosia, Cyprus. Eva Rossidou-Papakyriakou, the former head of Mokas, denied all accusations made against her in the anti-corruption authority’s Mafia State report on Thursday, saying they do not correspond to reality. She rejected findings that she may be criminally liable over the handling of an investigation linked to former president Nicos Anastasiades.
Report findings
The anti-corruption authority’s report said Rossidou-Papakyriakou may be criminally liable for abuse of power and neglect of official duty. It stated that, at the behest of Anastasiades, she had led a sham investigation into claims made against him by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
The report said Mokas, under her leadership, had a duty to actively conduct its own investigation and obtain evidence. Instead, it said, the unit merely accepted the explanations given without carrying out the necessary independent investigation and verification, despite what it described as incriminating evidence warranting further investigation.
It also said Mokas took no action until Anastasiades publicly requested an investigation, and accused him of exerting institutional pressure on the unit.
Rossidou-Papakyriakou’s response
Rossidou-Papakyriakou denied the allegations, saying Mokas had decided to launch an investigation of its own volition. She said the investigation was conducted by a specialised team of investigators, accountants and lawyers, and included investigative actions in Cyprus and abroad.
She added that she never acted or made decisions alone regarding analyses of suspicious transactions, and said such decisions were taken within the framework of a collective procedure because of the nature and complexity of the cases.
Criticism of the inquiry
Rossidou-Papakyriakou later criticised the anti-corruption authority’s investigation, saying she was summoned to testify twice and was never asked about the case in question.
She said this should have been done before personal responsibility was attributed to her and before there was any implication that Mokas had acted to serve Anastasiades.
Further investigation
She said she was not worried about the outcome of any further investigation into the matter, adding that such an investigation would show the true facts and what she described as the anti-corruption authority’s incorrect analysis and conclusion.
Despite this, she said she felt strong disappointment and dismay at the report’s findings and described the accusations against her as unfounded and unfair.
