Deputy attorney-general Savvas Angelides on Wednesday denied reports and rumours that he had submitted his resignation letter to President Nikos Christodoulides.

In a written announcement he said that in light of the public debate that has been taking place in recent days, he felt he needed to clarify that he has never submitted his resignation to the president.

“I have expressed concerns many times about the challenges facing the institution I serve, and the fact that I did not implement my thoughts or intentions to resign is due to the reaction and concerns of my colleagues in the Legal Service regarding our collective responsibility towards the public interest and the country, but also to the concerns raised by individuals whom I respect,” the statement said.

He added that information about threats concerning him and his family were evaluated and handled by the competent authorities.

“I have never raised the issue of my leaving the Legal Service for this reason. At the same time, I appeal for respect from everyone for this very sensitive issue,” Angelides said.

At the same time, he added that he has never expressed the position that there is corruption in the police “and that this would never constitute a reason for my resignation”.

He could not, he said, make public comments on the substance of the complaints concerning his person that have been pending for years before the Anti-Corruption Authority.

“I emphasise, however, that the tolerance that my position requires me to show regarding the failure to complete the investigations within a reasonable time should not be understood as acceptance of a situation that undermines the foundations of the rule of law. This situation should concern everyone,” said Angelides.

He said he would not “waste energy and react to every slanderous and malicious comment or action” and called for the Legal Service to be allowed continue with its work “without further hindrance”.

On Tuesday President Nikos Christodoulides said Angelides had not submitted his resignation as rumours continued to swirl that the deputy AG had wanted to quit but was persuaded not to by two government ministers.

Media reports have been suggesting that Angelides is also feeling the heat over the cases before the anti-corruption authority, which have not been officially laid out.

Daily Politis claimed the deputy AG was the subject of four separate complaints being looked at by the anti-corruption authority.

The first is the case of the ‘spy van’ that broke out in 2019. Indictments were filed, but in November 2021 the attorney-general’s office dropped all charges against three individuals – one of whom was Tal Dilian, the Israeli CEO of WiSpear Systems Limited, the company that owned the van.

At the time, Angelides was in charge of criminal prosecutions.

He was appointed deputy AG in June 2020. Prior to that, he had served as defence minister for a period of two years under the administration of Nicos Anastasiades.

According to Politis, a complaint has been submitted to the anti-corruption authority regarding alleged business ties between Angelides and associates of Dilian.

Angelides has categorically rejected any relationship with Dilian, attributing such allegations to a smear campaign against him.

Another case before the authority, and allegedly involving Angelides, concerned the ‘golden passports’. Here, the person filing the complaint is Akel MP Christos Christofides.

Allegedly, Angelides failed to declare his connection to a Nicosia-based law firm which had promoted applications for Cypriot citizenship on behalf of foreign nationals.

The cabinet had the final say in approving or denying these applications. As a member of the cabinet at the time, Angelides is therefore said to have had a conflict of interest.

A third case allegedly involves two successive wealth declarations he submitted to parliament, as required by law. The allegation is that the declarations were fraudulent, as they omitted to mention the acquisition of a company. This complaint was filed anonymously, but was backed up by evidence, Politis said.