Attorney General George Savvides on Wednesday rejected claims that he obstructed an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Authority into Deputy Attorney General Savvas Angelides over the "black van" case. Speaking after a session of the House Legal Affairs Committee, Savvides said only a superficial reading of the case could lead to the conclusion that, through his correspondence with the authority to date, he had blocked any investigation concerning his deputy. He said anyone wishing to form a view need only read the four announcements issued, explaining that the Anti-Corruption Authority had sent him a letter on four specific matters it intended to investigate, set out in detail as terms of reference for the investigators. He replied on each of the four points, setting out what investigation had already taken place, and stressed that the decision to open an investigation was not his and that he could not block any investigation, as he said some journalists had wrongly reported.
A complaint outside the police inquiry
Savvides said the most serious point was that it was unthinkable to debate whether a complaint submitted to the Anti-Corruption Authority in 2023 could have been covered by his reply to the authority, in which he stated that the police investigation had covered the period from 2019 to 2021. He noted that the authority's letter, to which he responded, made no reference to the Deputy Attorney General. The police, he said, clearly "could not have investigated a 2023 complaint in an investigation that ended in 2021." Savvides added that the authority has every right to decide on and investigate anything it wishes, while the Attorney General has no power to stop any investigation from being opened. He said there is an understanding on how communication between the two sides should work, so that unnecessary investigations into matters already examined are avoided, and that the exchange of letters took place in that context. The decision to open any investigation rests with the authority, he concluded, adding that just as he cannot prevent any other investigation, this one could also be pursued. He noted that many investigations have been carried out against his deputy and, as far as he is aware, all concluded that there was nothing against him.
Source: CNA
