The Independent Authority Against Corruption (IAAC) will examine a leaked video today showing the director of the president’s office appearing to offer help fast-tracking applications for a €150 million energy investment.
The illegally recorded footage shows Charalambos Charalambous, director of the presidential office, speaking with a person claiming to represent Stratix Wealth, a corporate entity that authorities say does not exist.
Former minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis and Cyfield CEO Giorgos Chrysochos also appear in the recording.
The Authority will assess whether the recorded statements raise issues within its remit, which covers actions by officials and lobbying transparency in public decision-making.
In the 45-minute video conference, the Stratix representative identified himself as Florin Gheorghiou and spoke with an Eastern European accent. The company claimed to be planning a €150 million investment in the energy sector.
“If you proceed with Giorgos, start working on the applications and face an issue, call me, and I’ll phone them to prioritise it,” Charalambous says in the footage, referring to Lakkotrypis.
Under Cyprus’s lobbying law, meetings between officials and those seeking to influence public decisions must be declared to the IAAC.
Neither Stratix Wealth nor Florin Gheorghiou appears in the Authority’s lobbying registry, which contains 265 registered individuals and entities.
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