Independent Authority Against Corruption (IAAC) commenced its operation on the 8th July 2022 following the Law 19(I) 2022 on the Establishment and Operation of the Independent Authority against Corruption.
The IAAC is governed by the Transparency Commissioner and four members.
The IAAC is now fully functional, with additional 18 employees, excluding the Commissioner and the four members, and its mission can be described as follows:
- It should take the necessary initiatives and actions to ensure the effectiveness of the anti- corruption measures for the public sector.
- Moreover, it has to ensure, in the best and most efficient way the implementation, progress, management and evaluation of the National Anti- Corruption Strategy.
- It is also designated as the competent Authority for coordinating the actions of the public and the private sector to prevent and combat acts of corruption.
The IAAC is responsible for the implementation and management of the Law of Lobbying (N 20 (I) 2022. Any organization wishing to lobby with government officials have the obligation to register on the registry of the IAACs webpage for approval and transparent transactions. The relevant documents and code of ethics has been prepared and in November 2023 the Registry has opened for interested parties. The law has been fully implemented since March 2024 and members of the Authority and other employees are delivering training sessions to public officials on the ways to comply with the law effectively.
The IAAC has also the following competences and powers:
Receiving and Investigating complains
- The IAAC accepts complaints and obtains information and personal data relating to acts of corruption in the public sector.
- The IAAC can also take the initiative to investigate acts of corruption that come to its attention and concern the public sector.
- Inspection Officers who have expressed interest in working for the Authority have been selected for specific cases based on their experience and qualifications.
- Up to May 2025, the IAAC received 414 complaints and 8 investigations are on the way.
Strategic Planning
- Since May 2025 the Strategic Planning of the implementation of the Anti- Corruption Action Plan is ready. This plan is in accordance with article 7 of the Law 19(I) 2022 and follows recommendations issued by Greco. The actions to be implemented aim to:
- Enhance transparency and accountability
- Enhance awareness and education on issues of corruption
- Encourage citizen participation in the fight against corruption
- Digitalization of the mechanisms for reporting corruption incidents.
Performance Assessment
- The IAAC has the responsibility to assess whether the results of the activities of the public and private sectors in preventing and combating corruption are in line with the expected results and the defined objectives, based on the internationally recognized best practices and standards for preventing corruption.
Risk Assessment and Prevention
- The IAAC assesses the risks of related acts of corruption, and provide the necessary tools to different governmental departments to determine the assessment indicators. If necessary, the IAAC prepares reports with recommendations for preventing and combating such acts.
- The IAAC prepares reports with opinions, suggestions and proposals for the prevention and combating corruption that are sent to the competent services for information and suggestion for minimizing the risks of corruption.
International Cooperation
- The IAAC cooperates with International Organizations, Institution and Agencies to develop, undertake, use, implement programs or strategic plans, exchange best practices and receive technical assistance to prevent and combat corruption. The IAAC is already member of NCPA – Network of Corruption, Prevention Authorities, ENPE, European Network for Public Ethics, the Globe Network, and a preliminary member of IAACA- International Association of Anti-corruption Authorities. It is also an active member of Transparency International.
International Engagement
- The IAAC attends meetings or other events organized within the framework of the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the European Union in which national anticorruption organizations participate. Cooperates with other relevant institutions and provides, exchanges information and responds to requests for information or data in the field of anti-corruption. Members of the IAAC have attended two meetings for the exchange of anti-corruption best practices and ideas between Member States; One of UNCAC in Vienna and one of DG Reform concerning the Rule of Law in Brussels. Other participations are the General meeting of ENPE in Rome in October 2024, the International Conference of Transparency International in june 2024 in Vilnius.
Source: Independent Authority Against Corruption, Cyprus
Independent Authority Against Corruption
Cyprus