(Makarios Drousiotis)

Cyprus: Five independent criminal investigators appointed for the “Mafia State” case

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@fyinews team

02/07/2026

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  1. The Council of Ministers of the Cypriot government appointed a team of five independent criminal investigators — university professors, judges, and lawyers — to further investigate the findings of the Independent Authority Against Corruption included in the book “Mafia State.”
  2. They will work within the prescribed legal and institutional framework, with the task of investigating the evidence included in the Authority’s report.
  3. Their term is set at six months, with the possibility of an extension, provided that a relevant document and a reasoned request are submitted to the Council of Ministers.

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The Council of Ministers has appointed a five-member team of independent criminal investigators to examine the findings of the Report of the Independent Authority Against Corruption in relation to the “Mafia State” case and the book of the same name by Makarios Drousiotis.

Vassilios Skouris, Professor Emeritus of Public Law at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and former President of the Court of Justice of the European Union, was appointed head of the team. The team also includes Christos Mylonopoulos, Professor Emeritus of Criminal Law at the University of Athens; former judge Sotiris Liasidis; lawyer Nicolas Koursaris; and criminal lawyer Dimitris Tsolakidis.

The investigation will be conducted within the prescribed institutional framework and with respect for the presumption of innocence.

The investigators will examine the matters recorded in the Authority’s Report, which, according to published accounts, attributes possible responsibility to natural and legal persons and includes references to potential criminal offences. The investigation will be conducted within the prescribed institutional framework and with respect for the presumption of innocence.

The team’s term was set at six months, with the possibility of an extension following a reasoned request to the Council of Ministers. Secretarial support and a suitably equipped office space were also approved.

Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said the aim is a full, objective, and unimpeachable investigation, noting that the investigators will cooperate with the Police, while matters concerning a private prosecutor fall within the remit of the Legal Service.

Sources:  Fileftheros, Kathimerini

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