The government confirmed the information reported by Alpha since yesterday, Thursday, namely that it was aware of the conflict of interest arising from the selection of Mylonopoulos for the team of independent criminal investigators appointed by the Cabinet to investigate the findings of the “State Mafia” report by the Independent Authority Against Corruption.

This was confirmed by Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letympiotis, who, speaking on the Alpha Kalimera program, stated that the experience, knowledge, and professional background of each of these five criminal investigators cannot be disputed by anyone.

It should be noted that the group of five was finalized earlier this week; however, the final confirmation from the two Greek nationals included in the group — Vasileios Skouris and Christos Mylonopoulos — arrived just the day before yesterday, Wednesday.

The participation of the two Greek nationals had been up in the air, as it had been made a condition that both take part in the investigations, and to resolve the issue, it was decided to exclude Mylonopoulos from the criminal investigation into matters related to Focus, as he had served as legal counsel to shipowner Michalis Zolotas in the Focus case, which is now being reopened, and he also collaborated with Achilleas Emilianidis, who currently represents Nikos Anastasiadis.

Today, speaking on the “Alpha Kalimera” show, Mr. Letympiotis said that the issue of conflict of interest was something raised by Mr. Skouris; it was something discussed and decided upon by Mr. Skouris—the exclusion, Mr. Mylonopoulos’s non-involvement and non-interference in this matter.

Regarding the selection of Mylonopoulos, the Government Spokesperson also said that “Mr. Skouris judged that the team should be supported by a legal expert with this specialization and with the background that Mr. Mylonopoulos possesses.”

“I believe that, given the critical nature and seriousness of this investigation, as well as the prestige, experience, and the indisputably proven value of these lawyers, it goes without saying that they, too, have taken very seriously into account that this aspect will neither influence, nor cast any shadow whatsoever on the thorough investigation of everything that needs to be investigated,” noted Mr. Letympiotis.

Let us recall that the five investigators leading the probe into the “Mafia State” are:

• Vasileios Skouris, Professor Emeritus of Public Law at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
• Christos Mylonopoulos, Professor Emeritus of Criminal Law at the University of Athens 
• Sotiris Liasidis, a former judge, had been appointed by the Anti-Corruption Authority to investigate Marinos Sizopoulos, in connection with which potential criminal offenses had been identified
• Nikolas Koursaris, Criminal Defense Attorney and Vice Chair of the Nicosia Bar Association Committee
• Dimitris Tsolakkides, Criminal Defense Attorney and Member of the Criminal Justice Committee of the Cyprus Bar Association. He was one of the officials at the Anti-Corruption Authority who investigated financial contributions to DISY through “golden passports.”

In total, the government approached 47 legal professionals to staff the team of independent criminal investigators, which also highlights the difficulty in finding them, as many cited a conflict of interest. Their term will be six months, with the possibility of extension.

SEE ALSO: Mafia State: Exceptions, Conflicts of Interest, and a Series of Mistakes | AlphaNews