With a delay of two months, the Inspection Committee’s report into the corruption allegations raised in the book Mafia State by investigative journalist Makarios Drousiotis is expected to be submitted in the coming days—by the end of June, Offsite reports. The report will be handed over to Haris Poyadjis, the Commissioner for Transparency, and members of the Anti-Corruption Authority.

The Committee was established specifically to investigate the serious claims made in the book, which alleges systemic corruption at the highest levels of the Cypriot government.

The allegations center primarily on former President of the Republic, Nicos Anastasiades, who has filed a defamation lawsuit against Drousiotis. Anastasiades also testified before the committee, submitting his own publication titled Sykofantis (The Slanderer), which he claims rebuts the accusations made in Mafia State.

Among the 120 witnesses called during the investigation was President Nikos Christodoulides, who served as Government Spokesperson during the period in question.

Once the report is reviewed by Commissioner Poyadjis, he will draft his conclusions and recommendations. Should the findings suggest criminal activity, the report will be referred to the Attorney General, who will then decide whether to pursue legal proceedings.

If the Attorney General decides that there is no legal basis, the case will be archived by the Anti-Corruption Authority.

The Inspection Committee, tasked with evaluating the claims in Mafia State, consists of:

• Gabrielle McIntyre, legal expert from Australia

• Charilaos Chrysanthou, lawyer

• Orestis Nikitas, lawyer

• Andreas Efthymiou, lawyer