Criminal investigators request police support for probe into corruption findings

Independent criminal investigators appointed by the Council of Ministers have requested the support of five police officers to assist in the probe regarding the Anti-Corruption Authority's findings on the so-called "Mafia State." The police investigators will be tasked with taking statements, issuing warrants, and analyzing financial data under the guidance of the criminal team. To expedite the process, the investigation will run in parallel strands covering chapters already reviewed by the Anti-Corruption Authority. The investigative team is based at the Conference Centre in Nicosia and has been reviewing evidence since mid-July. The team consists of two Greek investigators, Vasileios Skouris and Ilias Anagnostopoulos, and three Cypriot investigators, Sotiris Liasidis, Nikolas Koursaris, and Dimitris Tsolakidis. The Greek members have briefly departed Cyprus to study the findings and are expected to return by the end of July. The Cypriot investigators are following a similar schedule to review the documentation before proceeding with further actions.