Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev failed to appear before anti-corruption investigators after being summoned to testify in a probe examining allegations against former President Nicos Anastasiades, sources close to the investigation said on Friday.
Investigators appointed by the Independent Authority Against Corruption issued the summons in connection with allegations detailed in the book “Mafia State,” requesting Rybolovlev’s presence earlier this week, according to reliable philenews sources.
The four-member investigation team has sought the Russian tycoon in two foreign jurisdictions to secure his testimony, though it remains unclear whether the summons was successfully delivered.
The investigation team, comprised of Australian legal expert Gabrielle Louise McIntyre and Cypriot lawyers Charilaos Chrysanthou, Orestis Nikitas and Andreas Efthymiou, is committed to thoroughly examining all aspects of the allegations.
“Mafia State,” authored by journalist Makarios Drousiotis, contains numerous references to Rybolovlev and events in Cyprus following his divorce.
The book discusses the alleged role of a major law firm with connections to then-President Anastasiades, unusual legislative amendments, court decisions that allegedly benefited Rybolovlev in his divorce settlement with Elena Rybolovleva, and transfers of capital.
Anastasiades has categorically rejected the allegations in public statements and in his recently published book “The Slanderer,” where he presents documents intended to refute Drousiotis’s claims.
President Christodoulides testifies
“I answered everything I was asked,” Christodoulides told reporters as he departed from the Authority’s offices. Under existing legislation governing the Anti-Corruption Authority, the proceedings prohibit disclosure of information.
A key issue likely addressed during his testimony was the private jet used by former President Anastasiades for his travels. Drousiotis claims in his book that Rybolovlev paid for Anastasiades’s private jet flights in 2015 as compensation for favours.
Drousiotis cited testimony from Christodoulides, who was government spokesman at the time, allegedly clarifying that Rybolovlev, not Greek Cypriot businessman Chris Lazari, covered Anastasiades’s jet expenses.
In his book, Anastasiades disputes this account: “To make himself believable, he uses the same method employed in numerous chapters of his works, invoking dialogues that supposedly took place between himself and my associates, in this case the then Government Spokesman Nikos Christodoulides”.
Former President Anastasiades is scheduled to begin testifying before investigators next week, with his testimony expected to continue until early May.
Sources indicate investigators have already prepared a substantial document of findings running to thousands of pages on matters for which testimony has been completed.
