Greek lawyer with international standing frontrunner for Mafia State criminal probe

Local corruptionCrimeIndependent Authority against CorruptionNicos AnastasiadesTop News Greek lawyer with international standing frontrunner for Mafia State criminal probe Government Races To Name Mafia State Legal Team By Wednesday Relevant News Drunk driver crashes into five vehicles on Limassol coastal road (video) 29 June 2026 Greek lawyer with international standing frontrunner for Mafia State criminal probe 29 June 2026 Cool relief on the way as Cyprus sizzles at 38°C 29 June 2026 Fanis Makrides 29 June 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber The government is pushing to announce the legal team that will lead the criminal investigation into the Mafia State report by Wednesday, though the selection process remains tightly under wraps, Phileleftheros reports. If the target is met, an announcement is expected by mid-week. As of Sunday, however, it was not clear what progress had been made towards finalising the appointment, with all those involved in the process declining to comment. Secrecy surrounds selection Government and other circles involved in identifying suitable candidates consider any leak of information to be seriously damaging to the process, according to Phileleftheros sources. “If names start circulating, you understand that certain circles will start talking about a compromised selection process,” a well-informed source told the paper. Greek lawyer in the frame According to Phileleftheros’s information, one of the options under consideration — and one with a strong chance of materialising — involves a lawyer from Greece rather than Cyprus. The individual is described as a person of standing with an international profile. The option continues to feature prominently in the government’s contacts as it seeks to assemble the appropriate team to lead the criminal investigation into the Mafia State affair. A scenario that has not been ruled out, and which a number of lawyers favour, foresees a Cypriot lawyer being appointed alongside any non-Cypriot lead investigator to assist with the process. Legal experts have noted that Cyprus’s criminal law is based on the Anglo-Saxon system, while continental law predominates elsewhere in Europe. When the scenario of a foreign and a Cypriot criminal investigator working together was put to Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis last week, he did not rule it out. Why the delay Government circles attribute the delay in finalising the appointment to the particular circumstances of the case, according to Phileleftheros. They point to the large number of individuals under scrutiny — among them a judge — as a complicating factor. Some well-regarded lawyers who could have taken on the role have had to be ruled out on ethical grounds because of their involvement in the Anti-Corruption Authority investigation itself. The Anti-Corruption Authority’s report into the Mafia State affair identified possible offences involving 15 people, among them seven former officials, including former President Nicos Anastasiades. The Lykourgou proposal The handling of the report continues to generate public debate. On Sunday, lawyer and former senior district judge Alexandra K. Lykourgou, speaking in an interview with journalist Katerina Iliadi on Politis, put forward her own proposal for the steps that should follow the criminal investigation. She suggested that the state assign the task of evaluating the results of the criminal investigators’ work — and of drawing up indictments, should evidence of guilt emerge — to an ad hoc collective body. Lykourgou elaborated on how her proposal could be implemented and under what precise conditions. The Clerides testimony question A question arose on Saturday over testimony related to former Attorney General Costas Clerides that features in the Anti-Corruption Authority’s report. According to the report, Clerides received a telephone call from then-President Anastasiades while an investigation into the Focus Maritime case was under way. Anastasiades, according to the testimony cited in the report, expressed strong dissatisfaction with the direction of the investigation and called for it to be terminated, on the grounds that no criminal offences had been identified. However, a Cyprus Times report published last Saturday presented an earlier interview in which Clerides stated clearly that he had not intervened in the Focus Maritime case. What Clerides actually testified during the Mafia State investigation, and whether he addressed his earlier position, is not known. 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