Updated

Cyprus' attorney general says he will launch a probe into allegations made by the country's central bank chief that a prominent law firm 'bribed' the deputy attorney general.

Costas Clerides said Friday the probe will be handled by an independent criminal investigator.

The matter surfaced Thursday when a member of the Central Bank's executive board told a parliamentary ethics committee hearing that Central Bank chief Chrystalla Georghadji alleged law firm Andreas Neocleous & Co had 'bribed' deputy Attorney General Rikkos Erotokritou in a case involving his personal bank deposits seized during the country's 2013 international financial rescue.

Georghadji said in a statement Thursday that she has never impugned Erotokritou's personal or professional integrity.

The law firm said it would launch libel proceedings against Georghadji.