These developments are unprecedented for Christos Clerides, a lawyer and former president of the Cyprus Bar Association, the developments surrounding the Independent Anti-Corruption Authority’s findings regarding the book “State Mafia,” which attributes potential criminal liability to former President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades and 14 other legal and natural persons.

Speaking on the “Alpha News” program, he explained that the transmission of the findings from the Anti-Corruption Authority to the Tax Commissioner and the Legal Service, and from the Legal Service to the, and from the Council of Prosecutors to the Police and the Council of Ministers, poses serious risks regarding its disclosure.

At the same time, he pointed out that if the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General had appointed criminal investigators and subsequently recused themselves from the proceedings, the situation would not have become so complicated. He even noted that the appointment of independent criminal investigators could be made upon a proposal by the Minister of Justice to the Cabinet, by drafting terms of reference and resolving the “practical issues.”

When asked about the possibility that the 3,000-page report might include other names, other cases, and other potential criminal offenses, Mr. Clerides replied that the terms of reference for the independent criminal investigators should be broad rather than restrictive in order to cover all issues.

“If the terms are restrictive, someone will have to go back and request an expansion, and we’ll be playing this game all over again. They should be broad enough to investigate both the announcement and the findings. It’s encouraging that a team of investigators has been announced, and I suspect that, given the impressions this may create, since we’re a small place where everyone knows each other, it’s hard to convince an outside observer that a Cypriot lawyer is independent. So perhaps there should be a third party from abroad to lead the team, and I suspect that a former judge could be included in the team to ensure its impartiality, along with other Cypriotlawyers.”

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