Alma has called for criminal investigators examining the findings of the Mafia State report to be selected by the independent anti-corruption authority rather than by the cabinet, arguing that the process must be free from both actual and perceived conflicts of interest.

The intervention came after government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis confirmed that the government intends to appoint a team of independent criminal investigators to assess the findings of the authority’s probe into the allegations levied in the book Mafia State.

The report concluded that former president Nicos Anastasiades may face potential criminal liability for abuse of power.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Alma argued that the central issue is not the number of investigators to be appointed but “who will choose them, who will appoint them and with what institutional legitimacy”.

The party said President Nikos Christodoulides faces an “obvious conflict of interest” because he served as a minister in the Anastasiades administration and also gave testimony during the investigation.

“With two obstacles and an obvious conflict of interest, will Christodoulides decide on the investigators?” the party asked.

Alma pointed to previous decisions excluding officials from involvement in the case.

It referenced the recusal of deputy attorney-general Savvas Angelides because of his role in the Anastasiades government and the exclusion of prosecutor Elena Kleopa from the prosecutorial council after she appeared as a witness in the matter.

The party argued that while the cabinet became involved because the leadership of the legal service was unable to act, the exceptional procedure should not create further institutional concerns.

It maintained that accountability could only be secured through a process that is demonstrably independent from the outset.