The Independent Authority Against Corruption has announced the termination of its investigation into the so-called "Black Van" case, explaining that under existing legislation it cannot proceed further, as the Legal Service took the position that the matters the Authority wished to examine had already been investigated by the competent authorities.
According to a statement issued today, the case had been before the Authority since 2023, following a complaint by the Audit Office, signed at the time by then Auditor-General Odysseas Michaelides. The Authority noted that it had since been monitoring developments around the matter in both Cyprus and Greece, as well as at European level.
According to the statement, following recent developments, including the publication of a book on the case by a journalist in Cyprus, the Authority decided of its own initiative to broaden the scope of its investigation to cover all incidents relating to the "Black Van" case without exception.
After completing its preliminary examination and preparing the terms of reference, the Authority informed the Attorney General of its intention to proceed with an investigation. This notification was made as part of an oral arrangement between the two institutions, aimed at avoiding parallel investigations into the same case, which, it is noted, is not permitted under the law.
An exchange of letters followed, along with a meeting at the offices of the Legal Service. The related correspondence was classified as confidential by the Attorney General, and the Authority states that it is therefore unable to disclose further details.
The final outcome was the Legal Service's position that everything the Authority intended to investigate had already been examined. This development, the Authority says, means that under Article 10 of the relevant law, it is not permitted to carry out the investigation it had decided on, and the investigation has therefore been terminated.
The Authority clarified, finally, that the Transparency Commissioner approved the partial disclosure of information given the high level of publicity and public interest surrounding the case. However, due to the matter's classification as confidential, no further details will be given, nor will the Authority make any further statement.
