NICOSIA – Finance Minister Michalis Sarris resigned Tuesday after less than five weeks in the job, as the government begins an investigation into how the country's economy nearly collapsed last month. President Nicos Anastasiades accepted Sarris' resignation, which came as Cyprus finalized the details of its bailout with international creditors. Harris Georgiades, the 41-year-old former labor minister, will become the new head of finance. Sarris, 66, was appointed to the position after Anastasiades' Conservatives won general elections in February, days before the island was overwhelmed by its financial crisis. The minister, a former World Bank official who helped negotiate Cyprus' euro membership in 2008, has come under strong criticism for his handling of the bailout negotiations. On top of that, he was last year the head of Laiki Bank, one of the troubled banks at the heart of the country's financial problems. Sarris told reporters that he decided to step down to not compromise the work of investigators. – AP
