Thanasis Nicolaou’s murder ‘proved the existence of the deep state’

The murder of Thanasis Nicolaou “proved the existence of the deep state”, the Green Party said on Saturday.

They said his mother Andriana Nicolaou was “finally vindicated” by the Limassol district court’s decision on Friday, that he had died by strangulation and not suicide.

“She stood against the system, against the attorney-general’s office which for years had been telling her that her child committed suicide. It’s a shame that even today, the attorney-general’s office insists on that position,” they said.

They added, “this case proves that the vested interests, the corruption, and the covering up in this place works as normal and is entrenched.”

Regarding next steps, they said “there is a case for a new criminal investigation into the murder and the search for the killers. There is a question of accountability for those who have wilfully covered this crime up.”

They added that the attorney-general’s office’s assumption of responsibility is also a point of note.

“The fact that the attorney-general and his assistant have included the Thanasis Nicolaou case in the indictment against [Auditor-General] Odysseas Michaelides and are denouncing the Auditor-general’s support group for supporting the demand for justice and an investigation into Thanasis’ murder is no coincidence,” they said.

They also called for an amendment to Article 113 of Cyprus’ constitution, “to avoid a new conflict between the institutional roles of the Legal Service and the attorney-general.”

Meanwhile, Akel said Friday’s court decision “opens the way for the truth to finally shine through and the longstanding struggle of [Thanasis’] family to be vindicated.”

“We expect that a real investigation will proceed rapidly and that the people who committed the murder will be brought to justice,” they added.

They also spoke about the institutional dimension of the case, saying “it is clear that the decision exposes institutions and persons who were involved in the handling of the case, and the responsibilities of all involved must be thoroughly investigated and attributed.”

In particular, they said, “the attorney-general’s office is obviously exposed in many ways and the least it must do is give explanations to Cypriot society for its handling and evaluations of the case.”

“The truth and the handing down of justice is the minimum debt owed by the Cypriot state to the late Thanasis and also two his mother, who bore and continues to bear the burden of this ordeal,” they said.

Judge Dora Varoshiotou had announced on Friday to a packed courtroom in Limassol that “Thanasis Nicolaou, whose body was found under the Alassa bridge, died on September 29, 2005, as a result of strangulation due to criminal activity.”

Speaking after the ruling, Andriana Nicolaou said, “I thank God for giving me the strength these years through all my sickness,” and promised that justice would eventually come for those who killed her son.

“For two decades we fought to prove true that everyone did everything to cover up the truth,” she said.

Former investigator on the case Savvas Matsas had previously said in court the case was filled with lies and that there is an ongoing conspiracy seeking to cover up the case and call it a suicide.

Matsas was removed as investigator from the case by attorney-general George Savvides, who argued it was because he revealed details of his findings to the media. Matsas denied that this was the case.

He said he had been excluded from the investigation “because they understood I would not do whatever they want”.

At the start of the third inquest, last October, the two sides had decided to continue the process from where it had stopped.

The investigation was therefore carried out on the basis of the new information brought to light following exhumation and examination of Nicolaou’s bones in 2020, which led to the conclusion that his death was due to a criminal act and not a suicide.