By Angelos Anastasiou
FORMER Cyprus Ports Authority head Yiannakis Kokkinos, who last October had been alleged to have repeatedly handed shoeboxes full of cash to CPA messengers with instructions to deposit them in his personal bank account, could face bribery and money laundering charges, sources close to the investigation told the Cyprus Mail on Thursday.
Kokkinos had served as head of the CPA from 2001 until his retirement in 2013.
Last October, three CPA messengers claimed in their police statements that Kokkinos had repeatedly handed them shoeboxes full of cash, perhaps €10,000 each, and asked them to deposit the money in his personal bank account.
The messengers had stated that the shoeboxes arrived in Nicosia from Limassol via courier, and that every time they showed up at the bank, they were served by the branch manager.
At the time, the police launched a probe into these allegations, which is now close to conclusion.
“Investigations into this matter are in their final stages, and we believe the case file will be forwarded to Legal Services for further handling in 10 or 15 days,” police spokesman Andreas Angelides told the Cyprus Mail.
A source close to the probe confirmed it is nearing conclusion but questioned the two-week timeframe.
“An investigation into possible bribery is nearing conclusion, but I doubt it will be ready in 15 days – my sense is that it might take a bit longer,” he said.
The three messengers’ allegations were corroborated when funds of unknown origin were found in Kokkinos’ bank records, for which the former CPA boss has thus far failed to produce satisfactory explanations.
Kokkinos’ refusal to cooperate with the authorities has made it difficult for investigators to link the money to his former position, since the origin of the money cannot be ascertained.
“There is no link to a specific company at this point, because the deposits were all in cash,” the source said.
When the story broke in October, Kokkinos had declined comment, saying “I believe it is appropriate for me to await the conclusion of police investigations before commenting.”
And his successor at the CPA’s helm, Alecos Michaelides, had said that, while the authority could not launch a disciplinary probe on retired employees, he was “mainly interested on whether there are disciplinary issues concerning current workers.”
Michaelides could not be reached for comment.
