Anti-Corruption Authority: Attorney General blocked “black van” investigation

Local corruptionIndependent Authority against CorruptionsurveillanceTop News Anti-Corruption Authority: Attorney General blocked “black van” investigation Parakolouth Relevant News Nicosia court ruling puts spotlight on media campaigns waged alongside corporate litigation 14 September 2026 Anti-Corruption Authority: Attorney General blocked “black van” investigation 14 September 2026 Animal Party plans Wednesday protest as ALMA reveals earlier bid to target activists 14 September 2026 Fanis Makrides 14 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber The Attorney General blocked the “black van” surveillance investigation before it could formally begin, the Independent Authority Against Corruption said in a statement published shortly after 9am on Monday. Under Article 10 of the law governing the Authority, because the Attorney General was not in favour of the investigation going ahead, the Authority could not move to its next stage, which would have involved appointing inspection officers with specific terms of reference. The Authority’s statement did not explain why its exchanges with the Attorney General led to this outcome. It noted only that classified correspondence and a meeting between the Authority and the head of the Law Office had preceded the decision. The Authority’s preliminary investigation had been prompted by complaints referred to it by Odysseas Michaelides, as well as by Phileleftheros’s own revelations, as recorded in the recent book “Cyprus, the Epicentre of Surveillance.” The book raises a possible conflict of interest involving Assistant Attorney General Savvas Angelides, in two separate cases. The Authority’s statement in full: “The Independent Authority Against Corruption (‘the Authority’) issues the following Statement on the above matter: In 2023, the Audit Office submitted a Complaint to the Authority, signed by the then Auditor General, Dr Odysseas Michaelides, concerning matters relating to the Black Van. Because there were continuous developments on the matter, both in Cyprus and in Greece, as well as before European institutions, the Authority was monitoring these developments. The most recent related development was the recent publication of a book on the subject by a journalist in Cyprus. Taking into account all of the above developments, the Authority decided to extend, on its own initiative, the scope of its Investigation to cover, without exception, all incidents relating to the Black Van matter. This decision was taken after weighing all the facts and parameters of the issue. With the completion of the Preliminary Examination and the preparation of the Terms of Reference, the Authority approached the Attorney General, informing him of its intention to conduct an Investigation. Notification of the Authority’s intention to conduct an Investigation was given to the Attorney General of the Republic following an oral arrangement dated 10/10/2022 between the two institutions. That arrangement provided that the Authority, before launching an Investigation, would notify the Attorney General of its intention, so as to avoid two institutions conducting investigations simultaneously, which current legislation does not permit. In addition, consultation between the two institutions would help avoid any waste of public money. After the Authority notified the Attorney General of its intention, an exchange of letters followed, along with a long meeting at the offices of the Law Office. Because the Attorney General classified this correspondence as confidential, the Authority is not able to refer to any details. The final outcome of the above, however, is that the Law Office stated that everything the Authority wished to investigate had already been investigated by the competent authorities. That position, under current legislation, namely Article 10 of the Law on the Establishment and Operation of the Independent Authority Against Corruption of 2022, Law 19(I)/2022, does not permit the Authority to carry out the Investigation it had decided on. On the basis of all of the above, the Authority has therefore terminated the Black Van Investigation. The Transparency Commissioner has approved the partial disclosure of information concerning the Authority’s proposed Investigation into the Black Van, given the significant publicity the matter has received and because it is a matter of public interest. However, because the matter has been classified as confidential, no further details can be given, nor will the Authority make any further statement.” Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Nicosia court ruling puts spotlight on media campaigns waged alongside corporate litigation Animal Party plans Wednesday protest as ALMA reveals earlier bid to target activists Fire safety findings carry no legal weight once building is approved, MP told Christodoulides delays 2028 decision as DISY, AKEL finish internal races Famagusta slashes water losses from 47.2% to 34% Parliament debate on curbing anti-poaching activists divides MPs Erosion leaves Oroklini promenade collapsing near hotels Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.