Attorney General George Savvides has renewed his dispute with the Anti-Corruption Authority over the so-called "black van" case, arguing that the terms of reference communicated to him made no mention of Deputy Attorney General Savvas Angelides and questioning how allegations submitted in 2023 could have been covered by an investigation completed in 2021.
In a statement issued by the Law Office, Savvides said that while he recognises that "the continuation of an exchange of announcements on a sensitive issue does not help the image of the institutions", the Authority's latest statement required a response.
Authority and AG go back and forth
According to the Law Office, a letter sent by the Anti-Corruption Authority on 16 July 2026 did not merely outline its intentions but included the "verbatim, detailed and precise terms of reference" that were to be given to investigators. The Law Office said it had been informed that investigators would begin examining the case on 3 August.
Savvides maintained that those terms of reference contained no mention of the handling of the case by the Law Office. He called on the Authority, if it stands by its position, to declassify the letter, removing references to specific names, and make it public.
He also accused the Authority of using "fragmentary and selective" excerpts from discussions held on 29 July 2026 in its latest statement.
Referring to his own letter of 30 July, Savvides said he had responded to each of the Authority's terms of reference, explaining that all the issues raised had already been investigated and setting out the findings in each case.
On the question of the Deputy AG
Particular emphasis was placed on the issue of the deputy attorney general. Savvides said his 30 July letter contained no reference to any investigation involving the deputy attorney general and noted that the Authority's terms of reference, to which the Law Office was responding, also contained no mention of him.
"I wonder how the Authority understood that this letter of mine meant or implied that the Deputy Attorney General had been investigated," Savvides said.
He added that in previous cases where the Authority intended to investigate complaints against the deputy attorney general, this had been stated explicitly in its correspondence.
Savvides also expressed what he described as "great astonishment" at how the Authority concluded that an investigation carried out by the police and an independent criminal investigator covered complaints against the deputy attorney general that were submitted in 2023.
He noted that the investigation into the "black van" case had been completed in 2021, two years before those complaints were filed.
