The Independent Authority against Corruption said on Friday it found no corruption offence on the part of Deputy Attorney General Savvas Angelides regarding three cases forwarded to the Authority by the Audit Office.

In a press release, the Anti-Corruption Authority says that it adopts the findings of the investigating officers, adding that no corruption is found either for the police officer, referred to in the third complaint.

However, the Authority notes it will forward to the Attorney General a recommendation for criminal prosecution of the officer, regarding his refusal to answer questions by investigating officers. The findings of the investigating officers also demonstrate the absence of a statutory process for the conflict of interest, it notes.

It says that the complaints were submitted anonymously to the Auditor General, who decided that since they did not fall within his own competence but are related to potential corruption issues, to forward them to the Authority.

They concern cases of three natural persons who were facing criminal charges for which the Deputy Attorney General registered a suspension of criminal prosecution.

The allegations in those complaints are that the Deputy Attorney General was associated in a friendly and professional way with those defendants at a time prior to his appointment as Deputy Attorney General and due to conflict of interest he should have been excluded from considering and deciding on their cases, if there were other motives for making the specific decisions to suspend criminal prosecution.

Deputy Attorney General Savvas Angelides issued a press release in which he states that the decision of the Independent Authority 'that no corruption offence is found, is a partial mitigation and satisfaction for the slander that the institution went through and the humiliation that I went through personally, without any real case and after anonymous (named) complaints with various motives behind them."

He adds that he will not respond at this stage to the press release of the Audit Office, saying that it contains "assassination of character". 

Furthermore, Attorney General George Savvides, issued a press release in which he expresses satisfaction with the decision, saying that the Authority's decision rejected "all the complaints submitted by the Auditor General against the Deputy Attorney General of the Republic".

He also expresses surprise at the announcement of the Auditor General, saying that he is not in line with his constitutional competence.

Meanwhile, in a press release, the Audit Office of the Republic says that the existence of a conflict of interest is confirmed, but there is insufficient evidence to establish the offence of corruption.

The Audit Office congratulates the Independent Authority on its report and professionalism and notes that in essence it confirms the existence of a conflict of interest and the immediate need to remove the non-accountability of the Attorney General.

It adds that this is the second case which proves that unchecked power is not consistent with the practices of a state that claims to want to fight corruption.

The Audit Office also says that it has submitted to the Independent Authority three more complaints regarding suspensions of criminal prosecutions.