The members of the Prosecutorial Council of the Law Office have decided to forward to the Police and to the Council of Ministers the report of the Independent Authority Against Corruption and the Final Report of the Inspecting Officers on the investigation concerning the book “Mafia State” with a view to promptly initiate a criminal probe into possible offences.
A statement released on Tuesday by the Republic’s Prosecutors, noted the two reports, together with minutes and relevant evidence, were delivered to the Law Office on Monday, 22 June.
The statement said the Attorney-General’s Council took into account, the decision of the Attorney-General and the Deputy Attorney-General to recuse themselves from the process and to entrust handling of the case to the Council, as well as the Council of Ministers’ intention to appoint independent criminal investigators under Article 4 of the Criminal Procedure Law.
They also took into consideration the announcement of the Independent Authority Against Corruption, the strong public interest in the case given the nature and scope of the investigation, and the need to safeguard the uninterrupted functioning of institutions and the administration of justice.
On this basis, the Attorney-General’s Council decided to forward intact the two reports and all accompanying documents to the Police and the Council of Ministers so that the prescribed procedures may be set in motion to investigate any criminal offences that may arise from the investigation’s findings.
The Law Office’s statement noted that, at this stage and with a view to preserving the objectivity of the process, it was deemed appropriate that both the Authority’s Report and the Inspecting Officers’ Final Report be forwarded unchanged, without further assessment by the Law Office, in order to enable a broader criminal investigation into all possible offences that may emerge from them.
The Independent Authority Against Corruption (IAAC) on 16 June, issued a detailed announcement of its findings into the investigation of the allegations in the book ‘Mafia State’, in which it says that former President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades and other officials, individuals and legal entities, may be potentially criminally liable of corruption, while also stressing the principle of the presumption of innocence.
The probe of the IAAC is based on the book “Mafia State” written by journalist Makarios Droushiotis, who in the past worked as advisor to former President Nicos Anastasiades.