The Attorney General has appointed Andreas Paschalides, a former Supreme Court Judge, as an independent criminal investigator to lead a probe into a video alleging corruption within the presidential palace.
The appointment, announced by the Law Office on Tuesday, 13 January 2026, follows intense pressure from government coalition partners and the opposition for a transparent inquiry. Paschalides, who also serves as the Chairman of the Independent Authority for the Investigation of Allegations and Complaints against the Police, has been granted sweeping powers to investigate any potential criminal offences committed by any individual identified in the footage.
The investigation will be conducted in collaboration with the Cyprus Police and is mandated to cover all aspects of the controversy. According to the formal terms of reference, Paschalides is tasked with scrutinising the content of the video, its authenticity, and its origin. Crucially, the probe will also investigate the “circumstances and motives” behind the production and publication of the footage, which was first uploaded to the social media platform “X” by an account named “Emily Thompson” on 8 January.
The appointment comes as the Christodoulides administration navigates its most significant domestic crisis to date. The President has characterised the leak as a Russian-led “hybrid attack” intended to destabilise the Republic during its EU Council Presidency.
Paschalides has been ordered to complete the investigation “as soon as possible” and within a maximum timeframe of three months. The probe’s findings will be critical in determining the fate of several high-ranking figures, including the former Director of the President’s Office, Charalambos Charalambous, who resigned shortly after the video became public.
The Law Office has clarified that Paschalides’ mandate allows for the investigation of any related matters that may arise during the course of his inquiries, effectively granting him a broad remit over the presidency’s internal operations during the period in question.
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