Cyprus watchdog refers possible abuse of power by ex-president to prosecutor

Cyprus’s anti-corruption watchdog has identified possible abuse of power by former president Nicos Anastasiades and referred the matter to the attorney general, turning a years-long inquiry into a formal test of whether prosecutors believe the evidence justifies action. The finding does not amount to a conviction or even a charge, but it puts one of Cyprus’s most prominent former leaders under the scrutiny of the island’s top legal office.

The Independent Authority Against Corruption was established in 2022, and its report frames the alleged conduct as something more serious than a political rebuke. In the authority’s own reasoning, the actions under review were said to fall outside the constitutional duties of the presidency and, even if they brought no personal gain, could still amount to completed abuse of power or attempted abuse of power. The authority also stressed that only the courts can determine criminal liability.

What happens next now rests with the attorney general, whose office has discretion to institute, conduct, take over, continue or discontinue any criminal proceedings in Cyprus. That means prosecutors will decide whether the report becomes a criminal case, whether more evidence is needed, or whether the file goes no further. The referral is therefore not the end of the matter, but the point at which an internal anti-corruption finding moves into the country’s formal prosecutorial system.

The broader significance reaches beyond Anastasiades himself. The inquiry lasted nearly three and a half years and grew out of allegations tied to the book Mafia State, with the authority also naming other officials and referring additional issues to the attorney general. For Cyprus, where public distrust has often centered on influence, transparency and elite impunity, the question is whether this is a single referral or evidence that anti-corruption enforcement is finally willing to confront former power holders at the top of the state.