Cyprus probes how its citizens got on Russia-linked sanctions list

NICOSIA (Reuters) – Cyprus is investigating how a number of its nationals ended up on U.S. and British sanctions lists for allegedly cooperating with sanctioned Russians, a spokesman said on Thursday.

Cypriot-based entities and individuals were named on British and American sanctions lists on Wednesday as facilitating business transactions of persons already under sanctions.

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides called a meeting on Thursday with close aides on the matter, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said.

“During the meeting the developments were discussed, there was an exchange of views and it was decided… to investigate the information which led to the imposition of sanctions,” he said in a written comment.

Cyprus, where many companies with Russian-backed interests have operations, follows European Union sanctions against Russia imposed over its invasion of Ukraine.

Britain said Wednesday sanctions were imposed on two people it accused of being “financial fixers” for Russian businessmen Roman Abramovich and Alisher Usmanov. They were identified as Cypriots Demetris Ioannides, who runs an accountancy firm, and Christodoulos Vassiliades, who runs a legal practice.

Vassiliades was also named in an updated U.S. sanctions list issued on Wednesday. The Cypriot lawyer has denied any action which may have merited any sanctions.

“We have not offered services or assistance to any person included in the relevant sanctions lists, in violation of those sanctions,” Vassiliades said in a statement, according to the semi-official Cyprus News Agency.

“On the contrary, we conformed and continue to conform with whatever is stipulated, with whatever that entails.”

Attempts to contact Ioannides for comment were not immediately successful.

(Writing by Michele Kambas; editing by Mark Heinrich)