‘Mafia State’ probe reaches €1m as watchdog nears conclusions

The investigation into Mafia State, the controversial book by investigative journalist Makarios Drousiotis, has cost the state more than €1 million to date, according to the president of the independent authority against corruption.

Speaking on CyBc’s radio broadcast To Trito on Monday, authority president Haris Poyadjis said the investigation had been unfortunately delayed due to health concerns affecting two officers, but he affirmed that final announcements were now expected in February.

He stressed that the work was nearing completion, with conclusions being prepared after an exhaustive review of evidence and testimony.

The authority’s probe was launched following the publication of Mafia State, which portrays Cyprus as a systemically corrupt state and levels serious allegations against former president Nicos Anastasiades and other senior officials.

Drousiotis’ claims include assertions of undue influence, conflicts of interest and abuse of the state apparatus.

According to information previously released by the authority, the inquiry involved 214 meetings and hearings, with 129 witnesses summoned in Cyprus and abroad.

Investigators reviewed 550 pieces of evidence comprising thousands of pages of documents.

President Nikos Christodoulides has already testified before the authority, declining to comment publicly on his testimony.

Anastasiades, has rejected Drousiotis’ claims, publishing his own self-styled rebuttal, The Sycophant, disputing the allegations.

Poyadjis reiterated that the process remains strictly confidential.

Witness material, he said, would not be disclosed to anyone other than the attorney general, George Savvides.

He also warned that commentary circulating on social media about the substance of the findings was inaccurate and misleading, given that no final determinations had yet been made public.

While the Mafia State investigation has drawn most public attention, the authority continues to handle further corruption complaints involving state and political officials.

Poyadjis confirmed that findings relating to the development known as the Land of Dreams in Trimiklini were being forwarded to the legal service within the day.

That development has already been the subject of a damning report by the authority, which flagged potential criminal liability for former agriculture minister, Nicos Kouyialis, and senior civil servants over the irregular approval of permits for a fish farm and the unlawful extraction of water from the Kouris River and the Trimiklini reservoir.

 The report described a pattern of abuse of power, deliberate bypassing of procedures and prolonged inaction by state services.

After a preliminary investigation, the authority deemed the matter serious enough to be examined at European level, with findings expected in early 2026.