Former Akel secretary-general Andros Kyprianou has alleged that former president Nicos Anastasiades favoured a two-state settlement to the Cyprus problem and pursued substantial personal financial gain during his time in office.

Speaking in an interview with CyBC on Wednesday about his recently published book Through the Intricacies of the Cyprus Problem, Kyprianou said he had decided to disclose conversations and incidents which he believes can be corroborated by others who were aware of the events.

Among the most serious claims were allegations involving former Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras and the late interior minister Socrates Hasikos.

Kyprianou alleged that Tsipras had told him Anastasiades made personal financial gains worth “tens of millions of euros” during his first presidential term.

He further claimed that Anastasiades entered his second term seeking even greater financial benefit.

Referring to the allegations, Kyprianou said he was prepared to identify the individuals involved because the discussions could be confirmed by other people who had knowledge of them.

He also revisited claims concerning Anastasiades’ position on the Cyprus problem, citing conversations he said he had with Hasikos while the latter was serving as a minister in the Anastasiades administration.

According to Kyprianou, Hasikos requested a private meeting to discuss issues that were troubling him about developments within the government.

During those discussions, Kyprianou said Hasikos told him Anastasiades believed a two-state arrangement represented the best solution to the Cyprus problem before the 2018 presidential election.

Kyprianou said he initially attached little significance to the assertion but later became convinced that Anastasiades was moving in that direction politically.

“In a meeting I had with Mr Hasikos, he confirmed this,” Kyprianou said, adding that the former minister had also spoken about difficulties involving his law firm.

The allegations surfaced as the government announced plans to appoint an independent criminal investigator to examine findings by the anti-corruption authority concerning Anastasiades.

Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said cabinet intends to appoint “an independent criminal investigator or investigators” to assist in examining allegations contained in a report which reportedly found that the former president may bear criminal liability for abuse of power.

The appointment is expected to proceed after the anti-corruption authority submits its full report to the legal service.

The development follows the decision by attorney-general George Savvides and his deputy Savvas Angelides to recuse themselves from any involvement in decisions relating to the case.