President Nikos Christodoulides chaired a cabinet meeting on Wednesday at the presidential palace, where ministers were briefed on the findings of an investigation into the 2005 death of soldier Thanasis Nicolaou.

The long-awaited report, prepared by two criminal investigators, was submitted to the government earlier on Wednesday.

Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis confirmed that the investigators completed their work on March 7, following the final extension granted by the cabinet. The report was delivered at 8.45am to the cabinet secretary and it will now be forwarded to the attorney-general, in line with Article 113 of the Constitution.

The findings aim to determine whether any criminal offences were committed in relation to Nicolaou’s death, a case that has drawn significant public and media attention over the years.

In 2005, 26-year-old national guardsman Thanasis Nicolaou was found dead under a bridge in Cyprus. Authorities ruled it a suicide, but his mother, Andriana Nicolaou, fought for years to prove it was murder. A 2020 exhumation revealed signs of strangulation, and in 2024, a coroner confirmed his death was homicide.

Despite this, no one has been charged. Andriana accuses authorities of a cover-up and opposes the attorney-general receiving the case report, fearing further inaction.

However, Letymbiotis stated that legal procedures must be followed.

“The constitution is clear, and in an organised state, there is no alternative process,” he said.

“President Christodoulides personally spoke with Mrs Nicolaou to explain both the procedure and the cabinet’s decision to provide her with a copy of the report.”

Attorney-general, George Savvides, said on Wednesday that he expects to receive the report from two independent criminal investigators examining the death.

Addressing Nicolaou’s case, the attorney-general described it as a “tragic situation” that has troubled the country for nearly 20 years. He acknowledged that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Cyprus had failed to properly investigate the circumstances of the soldier’s death. The ECHR’s decision is an “undisputed fact”, he stated.

Savvides noted that numerous efforts have been made over the years to determine the cause of death and, more importantly, to identify those responsible. While he refrained from commenting on the actions of previous law office administrations, he stressed that he and deputy attorney general Savvas Angelides had done everything possible to support the investigation. Their efforts, he said, led to the emergence of the Matsas-Alexopoulos report, named after the two appointed investigators.

He also highlighted that, for the first time, the current law office leadership approved the exhumation of Nikolaou’s body within three days of taking office, after previous administrations had rejected multiple requests. Furthermore, he pointed out that the investigators were selected based on the family’s request, and all deadline extensions sought by them were granted.

Savvides declined to speculate on possible next steps before reviewing the latest report. However, he expressed hope that it would lead to a “more positive” outcome.