A draft report for the first major investigation assigned to inspection officers by the Independent Anti-Corruption Authority is expected to be delivered this week.
The investigation, conducted by experts from London, pertains to two cases related to three instances where the General Prosecutor’s Office decided to suspend criminal prosecution.
These allegations were initially submitted to the Audit Service through two letters and were subsequently forwarded to the Independent Anti-Corruption Authority for further examination.
The allegations are yet to be officially confirmed.
These concerns are believed to be linked to Savvas Angelides, the Deputy Attorney General, who is accused of suspending criminal prosecution in three instances, raising questions about the circumstances.
The Independent Anti-Corruption Authority is broadly reviewing complaints against officials for acts of incompatibility and corruption.
The preliminary findings of the two experts from London, George Campanella and Tanvir Qureshi, will provide an initial overview of their discoveries. The final report, which will be binding, is expected to follow shortly.
The aforementioned individuals, with the assistance of Cypriot lawyer George Liassides, arrived in Cyprus during the first week of September and took testimonies from over 10 individuals.
These included state officials such as Deputy Attorney General Savvas Angelides and the Auditor General Odysseas Michaelides.
Additionally, there were testimonies from senior police officers, including Michalis Katsounotos, as well as judicial personnel. The London experts also visited the Central Prisons to take sattements from a suspect.
Developments are also underway concerning the second major investigation assigned by the Authority to inspection officers.
This investigation pertains to two cases reported by MP Christos Christofides. Both cases are linked to the Cyprus Investment Programme.
Christofides was summoned to provide testimony to the officers appointed by the Authority last Thursday. He reportedly submitted new evidence related to one of the two cases under investigation.
One of Christofides’ allegations concerns five foreign investors who acquired Cypriot citizenship and appear to have made donations to the Democratic Rally (DISY).
The other case involves naturalised Russian investors who were shareholders in the Russian bank Promsvyazbank.
This bank operated in Cyprus and was housed in a privately owned building in Limassol, constructed by a construction company founded by Yiannis Misirlis, the son-in-law of former President Nikos Anastasiades.
However, Misirlis’ company, Imperio, issued a statement last February, asserting that there was nothing improper and presented event dates to support their claims. The sale of the building was recorded in 2008. There are indications of a third investigation on the horizon.
