A replacement for Christos Mylonopoulos on the five-member independent investigative team examining the "Mafia State" case appears to have been found. According to reports, Elias G. Anagnostopoulos, a prominent Greek criminal law expert, is being put forward for inclusion in the team's composition, which will be submitted for approval at the next Council of Ministers meeting.
Background to the appointment
The development follows the sudden resignation of Mylonopoulos, who stepped down before formally assuming his duties, after reactions arose over a possible conflict of interest linked to his previous professional involvement in a legal case.
Should his appointment be approved by the Council of Ministers, Anagnostopoulos will join the independent investigative team examining the findings of the Independent Authority Against Corruption relating to the "Mafia State" case, replacing Mylonopoulos and completing the team's composition under head Vasileios Skouris.
Anagnostopoulos's background
Anagnostopoulos is professor emeritus at the Law School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and one of the most prominent criminal law practitioners in Greece, specialising in criminal, economic and European criminal law. He has a long academic career, significant published work and many years of experience in cases involving economic crime, corruption and international legal cooperation.
He specialises in economic and European criminal law as well as criminal procedure, and has handled a series of significant cases involving economic crime, corruption, bribery, money laundering, banking and tax fraud, European sanctions and extraditions.
In 2003, Anagnostopoulos served as civil party counsel representing American victims of the 17 November terrorist organisation.
International recognition
His international recognition is notable. He is ranked among the world's leading specialists in economic crime investigations and defence in the Lexology Index 2026, while the Chambers Europe 2026 and Legal 500 EMEA 2026guides list him among the top lawyers in the field, with particular reference to his experience in corruption, fraud and money laundering cases.
He has also served as chair of the Criminal Law Committee of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE), chair of the Greek Society of Criminal Law, and as a member of the drafting committee for the new Greek Criminal Code, alongside participation in a range of international organisations and academic bodies.
Reasoning behind Mylonopoulos's resignation
According to a government source, Mylonopoulos withdrew from the team of independent criminal investigators not because of any substantive issue or conflict of interest, but for reasons of institutional sensitivity and with the aim of safeguarding public trust in the handling of the case.
His decision is described as aimed at protecting the process from any shadow or unfair impression, so that the investigation can proceed unimpeded, with full independence, objectivity and institutional safeguards.
