Lito Kariolou, lawyer for investigative journalist Makarios Drousiotis, has characterised the Independent Authority Against Corruption's announcement as vindication of her client's years of reporting on systemic corruption and judicial capture in Cyprus. Speaking on Alpha News, she emphasised that Drousiotis remains fully satisfied with the 67-page findings, which name fifteen individuals and entities for potential criminal investigation.
However, Kariolou raised urgent concerns about who will conduct any resulting criminal inquiry. The findings, if they point to criminal offences, would pass to Attorney-General George Savvides for prosecutorial decision. Both Savvides and his deputy, Savvas Angelides, were appointed by Anastasiades. This fact, Kariolou stressed, creates an unacceptable conflict of interest.
"The finding reveals the political power that the former president exercised and continues to exercise," Kariolou said. She stressed that the government must guarantee the investigation does not fall to anyone with potential conflict of interest. She cited the Focus case as an example. Savvides and Angelides had themselves chosen not to pursue an appeal in that matter, despite Anastasiades now facing potential felony investigation in the current findings.
Kariolou further noted that the Authority's announcement undermines the credibility of Cyprus' Legal Service, given that the findings cast doubt on other cases directly or indirectly connected to the former president and his law firm. She also observed that the announcement definitively rebuts Anastasiades' repeated characterisation of Drousiotis as a slanderer, liar, fantasist and screenwriter.
