Nicos Anastasiades

In 2026, the IAAC considered that evidence could support a finding of passive influence peddling involving Anastasiades in connection with Elena Rybolovleva's arrest and alleged benefits linked to Dmitry Rybolovlev, including a private flight.

State of the evidence

Documented

Person targeted by the proceedings

Elena Rybolovleva

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist not prosecuted

The IAAC concluded that Anastasiades may have had a personal or political interest in influencing or obstructing an investigation potentially revealing funding linked to DISY and Focus Maritime.

State of the evidence

Documented

The IAAC considers that a payment of 250,000 euros from Laiki Bank may have supported the 2013 presidential campaign while being recorded in the accounts as introducer commissions through offshore structures.

State of the evidence

Documented

The IAAC identified political interventions by Anastasiades in naturalisation applications involving wealthy clients of his law firm, considering that they may have served private commercial interests and constituted abuse of power or influence peddling.

State of the evidence

Documented

Following the Troika Laundromat revelations, Anastasiades publicly asked MOKAS to investigate his former firm. MOKAS quickly stated that it had found no wrongdoing. In 2026, the IAAC considered that this approach may have exerted pressure on the unit to obtain a public exoneration.

State of the evidence

Documented

The IAAC considered that several interventions by Anastasiades to help a private company advance a land-related matter fell outside his constitutional duties and might constitute abuse of power or attempted abuse of power.

State of the evidence

Documented

On 16 June 2026, the IAAC published its investigation findings and identified seven instances of potential criminal liability attributed to Anastasiades: three possible cases of influence peddling, one possible felony involving abuse of power and three other cases of abuse or attempted abuse of power. The file, exceeding 3,000 pages, was referred to prosecutors.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

The Anastasiades government substantially expanded the citizenship-by-investment programme. Following revelations in 2020, the programme was abolished. An independent inquiry concluded in 2021 that serious failures had occurred and numerous naturalisations lacked sufficient legal basis.

State of the evidence

Established

Attribution

Political responsibility

The Pandora Papers indicated that the firm bearing Anastasiades's name had allegedly used employees as registered owners of companies whose actual beneficial owner was Leonid Lebedev.

State of the evidence

Allegations

Anastasiades and his family travelled free of charge to Seychelles on the private jet of a Saudi businessman who had acquired Cypriot citizenship, prompting allegations of an apparent conflict of interest.

State of the evidence

Established

OCCRP documented transactions by client companies of Nicos Chr. Anastasiades & Partners linked to the Troika Laundromat offshore network, involving several hundred million dollars in financial flows.

State of the evidence

Documented

A commission of inquiry attributed primary responsibility for the Cooperative Bank's failure to Finance Minister Harris Georgiades but also criticised Anastasiades for retaining him and minimising problems before the 2018 election.

Attribution

Political responsibility

Only weeks after his election, Anastasiades accepted a bank bailout imposing losses on depositors, having previously ruled out such a haircut. The final agreement liquidated Laiki and imposed substantial losses on large uninsured deposits.

State of the evidence

Established

Attribution

Political responsibility