For the \u20ac3 million that is reported to have been distributed in Cyprus to cover up the alleged fraud of \u20ac113 million, Mr. Efstathiou named two lawyers but the Authority's investigations led nowhere<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The well-known criminologist Efstathios Efstathiou recently submitted to the Anti-Corruption Authority, accusing officials of the Legal Service that, in collaboration with investigators of the TAE Police Headquarters, they falsely invented and presented various baseless accusations in order to cover up a case of alleged fraud with shops in a shopping center in Moscow, totaling area of 126,238 sq.m. and worth 113 million dollars, which changed hands in April 2012 through Cypriot companies. The protagonist of the alleged fraud is said to be a Russian billionaire against whom the TAE Police Headquarters issued an arrest warrant in 2016 to question him in connection with the case. The warrant was issued by the Nicosia District Court, which was later converted into an international arrest warrant. However, the arrest warrant was never executed as it was cancelled, with Mr. Efstathiou denouncing the cover-up of the case and corruption in the Legal Service and the Police.<\/p>\n
According to "P's" cross-examination, Mr. Efstathiou's complaints were thoroughly investigated by the Anti-Corruption Authority, which found the following that led to the dismissal of the corruption and cover-up allegations: the disputed arrest warrant against the Russian oligarch was canceled in Supreme Court after an appeal by his lawyer, Kostas Velaris. The Legal Service reacted to the decision to cancel the arrest warrant with an appeal that was filed and heard by the full session of the Supreme Court, where it was dismissed, with the result that the arrest warrant was finally and irrevocably cancelled. After these actions prove, according to the Anti-Corruption Authority, that the Legal Service did not cover up the case but instead sought to arrest the Russian oligarch to be investigated for the alleged fraud, it decided to drop the charges.<\/p>\n
Mr. Efstathiou came back with new information and requested their examination. The Anti-Corruption Authority opened the case for the second time and investigated Mr. Efstathiou's claim that, "with \u20ac3 million that he spent in Cyprus (including the suspected Russian oligarch) he settled the case and has nothing to be afraid". When asked for information and addresses documenting corruption, Mr. Efstathiou allegedly named two Russian lawyers. However, the search led nowhere.<\/p>\n
The Anti-Corruption Authority, in a multi-page letter to Mr. Efstathiou, informed him that it rejected his complaints and explained why.<\/p>\n
It is worth noting that all of the above took place without the knowledge of the officers of the Legal Service who handled the case and were under investigation, nor the Attorney General, as the Anti-Corruption Authority has no obligation under the law to informs the persons against whom complaints are made and rejected.<\/p>\n
<\/b> Disciplinary complaint<\/b><\/b> <\/b><\/p>\n
"For unethical allegations of corruption in the Legal Service" the Attorney General Giorgos Savvidis yesterday accused the lawyer Efstathios Efstathiou and called on the Pan-Cypriot Bar Association to proceed with the disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Efstathiou.<\/p>\n
<\/b> You hide behind the Constitution…<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n
"Enshrined in the Constitution, he considers that his decisions, his actions and omissions and in general his behavior are uncontrollable and unruly", said Mr. Efstathiou in response to Giorgos Savvidis' claim for disciplinary action against him. Mr. Efstathiou, after repeating the accusations of corruption, called on Giorgos Savvidis to make public the public interest reasons that led to his decision, on 1\/16\/2024, to discontinue the private criminal case he registered on behalf of his client against him Russian oligarch in Nicosia District Court for alleged $113 million fraud.<\/p>\n
In this case, the Attorney General made use of the uncontrollable power given to him by the Constitution, which, with a law proposal filed yesterday by nine members of parliament, attempts to introduce accountability and transparency regulations.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The fact described in the text is that the well-known criminal lawyer Eustathios Eustathiou accused officials of the Legal Service in Cyprus of fabricating false allegations to cover up a fraud case involving 113 million dollars. However, the investigations conducted by the Anti-Corruption Authority did not lead to any results.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2810,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[239,295,3],"class_list":["post-2809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cyprus","tag-anti-corruption","tag-corruption","tag-cyprus"],"acf":{"keyphrase":"","keywords":"","sourceimg":"","country-category":""},"yoast_head":"\n