President Christodoulides will provide testimony next week in a high-profile corruption investigation examining allegations about his predecessor and former boss’s use of a private jet allegedly funded by a Russian billionaire.
The Independent Authority Against Corruption is entering the final phase of its inquiry into claims made in the book “Mafia State” against former President Nicos Anastasiades, with testimony from key political figures scheduled in the coming days.
Gabrielle Louise McIntyre, who heads the investigative team, arrives in Cyprus this weekend to oversee the proceedings. According to reliable sources, Christodoulides will testify on Holy Thursday, while former President Anastasiades is scheduled to appear before investigators on April 28.
A central focus of the investigation concerns allegations that Russian oligarch Dmitri Rybolovlev financed private jet travel for Anastasiades during 2015, potentially in exchange for assistance with his divorce proceedings from Elena Rybolovleva.
The inquiry has gained significance as author Makarios Drousiotis, a former aide of Anastasiades, claimed in his book that Christodoulides, who served as government spokesman then, before becoming president himself, had acknowledged in conversation that Rybolovlev covered the jet expenses.
Anastasiades has rejected these allegations in his recently published response titled “The Slanderer,” writing: “To make his claims believable, he uses the same method employed in numerous chapters of his works, invoking dialogues that supposedly took place between himself and my associates.” The former president pointedly added, “Fortunately, Christodoulides is alive and presiding over the Republic.”
In “Mafia State,” which is partly based on his experiences as an aide to Anastasiades, Drousiotis wrote that Rybolovlev used his relationship with the former president to promote his financial interests. While researching the case, Drousiotis alleged that the Cypriot government used spyware and bugging against him, saying that his cell phone and computer were hacked in 2018.
The investigation is an unprecedented situation in Cyprus, where a sitting president will testify in a corruption probe involving his immediate predecessor.
Investigators have reportedly compiled extensive documentation running to thousands of pages based on evidence and testimony already gathered. Anastasiades is expected to submit his book as supporting evidence during his appearance.
Drousiotis worked as an aide to President Anastasiades between 2013-2014. Since leaving the Presidential Palace, Drousiotis has written three books accusing the country’s political elite of widespread corruption, based on his experiences collaborating with Anastasiades.
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