Cyprus's Transparency Commissioner has confirmed that new developments in the so-called "Sandy" case involving journalist and activist Makarios Drousiotis will have no bearing on the separate investigation into former President Nicos Anastasiades and the allegations raised in the Mafia State book.
"Developments involving Makarios Drousiotis in the 'Sandy' case will not affect the investigation into the 'Mafia State' book and Nicos Anastasiades," Harris Poyiadjis, head of the Independent Authority Against Corruption and Transparency Commissioner, said, as reported by In-Cyprus.
Final report due by 30 April
Poyiadjis outlined the process the Authority will follow once the probe's findings are formally submitted. The final report from the inspection team is due by 30 April, at which point the Authority will begin its own review. He noted that "the timeline for announcing the results depends on the volume of the final report, which is due by 30 April."
Officials estimate that studying the completed report will take at least one month, meaning an announcement of conclusions is unlikely before the 24 May parliamentary elections. An official announcement is expected in the first week of May to confirm receipt of the final findings and signal the start of the Authority's formal review period.
Four-person inspection team led by McIntyre
The Mafia State probe was conducted by four inspection officers: Australian lawyer Gabrielle Louise McIntyre, who led the team, alongside Cypriot lawyers Charilaos Chrysanhou, Orestis Nikita, and Andreas Efthymiou. The Authority has already received draft reports covering at least three of the five chapters under examination, and in a February statement praised the thoroughness of the inspection officers' work.
Conclusions only — not the full report
When findings are eventually made public, the Independent Authority will publish its conclusions rather than the full inspection report. Any findings that point to potential criminal liability will be forwarded to the Law Office of the Republic for further action.
The prospect of results being released before polling day on 24 May is considered remote by officials. Drousiotis and the Volt party have both expressed a desire for the findings to be made public before voters go to the polls, but Poyiadjis indicated that the institutional process cannot be compressed to meet that timetable. Officials have said it is "unlikely that the results will be released before the parliamentary elections."
The confirmation that the two cases remain procedurally separate removes one variable from a probe that has attracted sustained political attention since Drousiotis published his book alleging high-level corruption during the Anastasiades presidency.
