Anastasiades to face press on Mafia State findings as implicated officials push back

Local corruptionCrimeIndependent Authority against CorruptionNicos AnastasiadesTop News Anastasiades to face press on Mafia State findings as implicated officials push back Anastasiades To Face Press On Mafia State Findings As Implicated Officials Push Back Relevant News Anastasiades to face press on Mafia State findings as implicated officials push back 19 June 2026 Oroklini drowning eyewitness raises alarm over missing signage and unstaffed lifeguard post 19 June 2026 Cyprus problem and EU-Turkey top Christodoulides-Costa talks in Brussels 19 June 2026 Fanis Makrides 19 June 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Former president Nicos Anastasiades and the former head of the Unit for Combating Money Laundering (MOKAS) have both gone public with rejections of findings against them in the Anti-Corruption Authority’s report on the Mafia State investigation, as the report’s submission to the Attorney General draws near. Anastasiades to hold press conference Anastasiades announced through associates that he will hold a press conference next Tuesday at the Journalists’ House, according to an announcement sent by his political office to media outlets. His office said he would respond comprehensively and with documentation to all issues arising from the Anti-Corruption Authority’s investigation, the announcement said. The Anti-Corruption Authority’s report found that Anastasiades faces scrutiny for three counts of trading in influence, one felony count of abuse of power, and three counts of abuse of power as a misdemeanour or attempted criminal offence, based on the findings and recommendations of the Authority’s inspectors. Rossidou Papakyriakou rejects findings The former head of MOKAS, Eva Rossidou Papakyriakou, also went public with her position, rejecting the findings attributed to her by the Authority’s inspectors. The Anti-Corruption Authority’s report found that Rossidou Papakyriakou faces scrutiny for possible abuse of power as a misdemeanour or attempted criminal offence, and neglect of duty, in connection with her handling of an OCCRP report published on August 14, 2019, titled “Bank Records Link Cyprus President to Troika Laundromat.” In a written statement, Rossidou Papakyriakou rejected the inspectors’ findings, saying the relevant paragraphs of the Anti-Corruption Authority’s announcement do not reflect reality as regards MOKAS’s actions. She declined to address specific points in detail, citing the possibility of criminal proceedings, which she said would show that the investigations carried out “were the appropriate ones.” Rossidou Papakyriakou said in her statement that the MOKAS investigation had been launched on MOKAS’s own initiative on the basis of the OCCRP publication, and was subsequently followed by a public call from then-President Anastasiades to examine the matter. She said the investigation was carried out by a specialised team of investigators, accountants and lawyers, and included investigative actions both in Cyprus and abroad. She also said that as head of MOKAS, which falls under the Attorney General, she never acted or decided alone on the analysis of suspicious transactions, but that the unit operated as a team given the specialised accounting and financial expertise required. She added that this did not mean she bore no responsibility as head of MOKAS for the proper conduct of its functions, the review of final findings, or for informing the Attorney General where required — as she said was done in this case, with the findings delivered to the then-Attorney General. Rossidou Papakyriakou said she was called as a witness in two sessions before the Authority, during which, she claimed, she was not asked substantive questions about the specific case nor was relevant witness material presented to her. She said this should have happened before inspectors reached conclusions attributing personal responsibility to her, and before implying that MOKAS had acted to serve the interests of the former president. She said she was not concerned about the outcome of any investigation that might follow, expressing certainty that the file’s evidence would reveal the true facts and what she described as the erroneous analysis and conclusion of the Authority. She concluded by expressing strong disappointment and distress at the attribution of possible criminal offences to her, saying the matter had been examined thoroughly and without intent to conceal, and that she had issued the public statement because the process could be lengthy, during which time what she called unfounded and unjust claims against her would remain unresolved. Three findings against Rossidou Papakyriakou The Anti-Corruption Authority’s inspectors identified three findings against Rossidou Papakyriakou in connection with the OCCRP report. The first finding, according to the Authority, was that despite being informed of the OCCRP publication’s contents by an independent auditing firm, Rossidou Papakyriakou began an investigation eight days later and only after Anastasiades publicly called for an examination to show that the allegations against him were unfounded. The second finding was that while MOKAS findings are not published, Rossidou Papakyriakou published them, stating in her announcement that nothing reprehensible had emerged. The third finding was that the investigation was incomplete. The Authority’s announcement stated that the MOKAS report was not an accurate reflection of the incriminating evidence collected during the investigation into the OCCRP allegations, indicating deficient conduct of the investigation despite the existence of obvious warning signs, and constituting elements capable of raising doubts as to the completeness, objectivity and reliability of the investigative process, according to the Authority. Next steps The handling of the Anti-Corruption Authority inspectors’ report remained in public discussion. The report, together with the voluminous witness material accompanying it, is expected to be handed by Authority president Haris Poyiadjis to the Attorney General early next week. Litou Kariolou, lawyer for Mafia State author Makarios Drousiotis, speaking on CyBC, said it was difficult to understand how the necessary independence could be guaranteed when those called upon to take decisions remained functionally and professionally embedded in the same hierarchical structure of the Law Office and continued to be close associates of and professionally dependent on those who had recused themselves, the lawyer said. Criminal lawyer Ilias Stefanou, speaking on radio station 107.6, said the Attorney General’s recusal from the case was correct given the conflict of interest that arises, but said the issue did not end there. He indicated the need for the Prosecutorial Council to be supported by independent persons so as to guarantee objective impartiality and external credibility in the handling of the report. 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