Authority against Corruption investigates 12 complaints after reviewing 110

A total of 110 out of 340 complaints have been reviewed by the Independent Authority against Corruption, Commissioner for Transparency, Haris Poyiadjis has said, adding that out of the 110 cases, the Authority is going ahead with an investigation of only 12, since the rest have been dismissed. 

Poyiadjis, who presented the Authority's 2023 report to President Nikos Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace on 16 January, was replying to a journalist's question on the matter after the meeting.

During the meeting, President Christodoulides, said that the decision to establish this Authority was "a wise decision made by the previous government" and said that the government respects the Authority's independence.

"We are here to support you, and today, we will address any issues to strengthen both effectiveness and time efficiency," because, as he said, time is directly related to the sense of justice being served.

The President also said that there are no middle-ground solutions in the government's approach towards corruption, adding that the goal is "to ensure that no shadow is cast over our country's name, both locally, as we are primarily accountable to our citizens, and internationally."

President Christodoulides pointed out that significant steps had been taken, and mentioned that during a recent meeting with FBI officials, they submitted a report evaluating cooperation with the investigative authorities of the Republic. Their recommendations have already been forwarded to the relevant Ministries and the Law Office "to proceed with the recommended changes," he noted.

In this context, he said, the Authority's report will be reviewed by the Secretariat for Support of government work, and "we will proceed with the recommendations, with the ultimate goal of strengthening the Authority and achieving results that we all owe to the Cypriot people."

Poyiadjis informed the President that the report concerns 2023, the first entire year the Authority was operational. He noted that lack of sufficient staff continues to be the Authority's greatest challenge.

He added that since then, things have significantly improved. "In 2024, we fully implemented the lobbying law", he said, noting the great interest shown by officials for information on the topic, with many meetings held. "We have 140 registrations to date, more coming from Greece, which implemented the law earlier, and there are 35 pending registrations," he said.

Regarding complaints of corruption submitted to the Authority, he said that 110 out of 340 complaints have been reviewed, noting that there have been delays "because a lot of work is required."

Referring to the monitoring of public sector actions in relation to corruption, he said they are in constant communication with the Deputy Minister Irene Piki. He added that the Authority is drafting an action plan which will be ready by the end of the month and which "we will begin to implement", noting that this issue requires the daily involvement of 7-8 people.

"I believe that by the end of the first half of 2025, with the existing staff, we will have completed significant part of the work. Only some complaints will be slightly delayed; everything else will be up-to-date," he said.

In his statements after the meeting, Poyiadjis stated that there has been no interference from anyone towards the Authority. In response to questions, he said that of the 110 complaints examined, "we have moved forward with 12 investigations, of which around 7-8 are ongoing, and we will soon have results, which we will announce" in the coming months. Some cases, he added, have been dismissed and relevant announcements were made.

Regarding whether any violations of the lobbying law have been identified, he said that "so far, there has been no violation, although the law has been implemented, and communication forms and all communications are being submitted."

Regarding the investigation into a complaint concerning a book on corruption by journalist Makarios Drousiotis, Poyiadjis said that it is "the largest investigation". Noting that it started in April 2024 he said that "I believe that, at the latest, by the end of May, we will have the conclusion. More than 100 witnesses have already been heard, and there are a few final witnesses to be called, and I imagine one of them will be (former President) Mr Anastasiades, who will be among the last".

(Source: CNA)