Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou said on Monday that the article recently published by US-based investigative journalists about the alleged involvement of the law firm belonging to now-Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades in a Russia-linked money laundering case called "Troika Laundromat" was groundless and slanderous
ATHENS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th August, 2019) Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou said on Monday that the article recently published by US-based investigative journalists about the alleged involvement of the law firm belonging to now-Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades in a Russia-linked money laundering case called "Troika Laundromat" was groundless and slanderous.Last week, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, based in and funded by the United States, claimed that Anastasiades, before he was elected president in 2013, helped facilitate fraudulent money transfers to and from Russia, including for the so-called Troika Laundromat firms, through a law firm he founded and co-owned Nicos Chr. Anastasiades and Partners LLC
After the report was published, the opposition Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL) demanded explanations.
"As for the anonymous publication, aside from overt slander, it contains absolutely no aggravating details. By specifying that the available bank documents do not 'contain proof' of laws breached or crimes committed, the website reiterates the commonly known trope, repeated for years since the AKEL era, about Cyprus' 'links' to the Russian international networks and 'suspicious transactions," Prodromou said.
He also accused AKEL of hypocrisy and recalled that the party had helped wealthy Russian nationals acquire Cypriot citizenship, and that these Russians were now accused of financial crimes.
"Another manifestation of hypocrisy and confusion is that while agreeing with slander-laden publications that criticize Cyprus and its president for his relations with Russia and pro-Russian stance, the AKEL also thinks that the United States introduced a bill that could jeopardize Cypriot-Russian relations because of Anastasiades and his government," he added.
Anastasiades from the center-right Democratic Rally party was re-elected last February. His rival, Stavros Malas from the AKEL, lost to him the second round of the election with 44.01 percent of the vote against Anastasiades' 55.99 percent.
