Cypriot authorities seized assets worth nearly €91 million over the past two years under court orders linked to criminal cases in Cyprus and abroad, according to figures from the Unit for Combating Money Laundering (MOKAS). The seized assets included large sums of cash, cryptocurrencies, real estate, luxury vehicles, jewellery, paintings, and other high-value items.
MOKAS data shows that seized assets totalled €63.2 million in 2024 and €27.6 million in 2025. The unit attributes the overall increase in asset seizures in recent years to a coordinated effort launched in 2023 by MOKAS, the police, and the prosecuting authority to enforce proceeds-of-crime recovery measures more effectively.
According to MOKAS’s annual report, stripping criminals of illegal proceeds is a key enforcement tool — both as a punishment and as a safeguard against dirty money entering the legitimate economy.
2025 domestic seizures
In 2025, domestic criminal investigations saw seizures of illegal proceeds exceeding €10 million. Combined with assets frozen following five requests from foreign authorities, the total exceeded €27 million.
Assets frozen under domestic court orders issued on MOKAS applications included real estate worth €8 million, cash totalling €1.55 million, $1,605 and £465. Cryptocurrencies worth over €617,000 were also seized, along with vehicles worth €252,000, jewellery worth €30,000, and other luxury items.
Assets frozen under foreign court orders, issued on the basis of mutual legal assistance requests, totalled €17.1 million. These comprised €7.1 million in cash, $522,000, and €1.9 million, along with cryptocurrencies worth €183,000, real estate worth €7.3 million, and other luxury items.
Confiscations also up
Separately, 2025 saw an increase in asset confiscations — a distinct measure from freezing — with the value of confiscated assets exceeding €6.5 million. Of that total, €6.3 million related to domestic confiscation orders, with the remainder linked to foreign orders.
Suspicious transaction reports rise
The Financial Intelligence Unit intensified its analysis of priority reports and increased the number of referrals to competent authorities — both for criminal investigation and for identifying and freezing illegal proceeds.
MOKAS referrals rose by around 70% in 2025, reaching 572. The unit also exchanged information with counterpart units abroad in 631 cases and forwarded reports in a further 77 cases.
Suspicious transaction reports received from obliged entities also increased. A significant share came from entities licensed in Cyprus that provide services across the European area. In total, 21,857 reports were submitted to MOKAS in 2025, of which 246 concerned the Financial Intelligence Unit.
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