Cyprus police have opened a criminal investigation after researcher and author Makarios Drousiotis published allegations of an illegal network involving former and current officials — implicating a former Supreme Court figure, a former president, and several senior politicians.
The inquiry was ordered by police chief Themis Arnaoutis. Police called on Drousiotis to submit his evidence without further delay, describing its timely delivery as critical to an effective investigation. Drousiotis had indicated he would do so after consulting his lawyer, citing the latter’s absence as a reason for delay.
The claims rest on screenshots Drousiotis says represent private communications from the mobile phone of former Supreme Court official Michalakis Christodoulou.
Published under headlines such as “Paedophilia, foreclosures, surveillance and rigged trials” and “The dark face of the rule of law in Cyprus,” the posts allege a network with international reach operating heavily in Cyprus, casting shadows over the integrity of the justice system and the conduct of named officials.
Those named include former President Nicos Anastasiades, DISY MP Nicos Tornaritis, former MEP and current Alma movement candidate Demetris Papadakis, and EDEK deputy president Morfakis Solomonides.
Drousiotis also alleges manipulation of judicial proceedings in one of the Focus cases — involving defendants Christodoulos Christodoulou, Michalis Zolotas and Michael Fole — and links to this the appointments of Giorgos Savvides and Savvas Aggelides as Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General respectively.
Drousiotis told Phileleftheros he would cooperate fully with police. “They always try to find a motive. The public needs to know. The public interest comes first,” he said, brushing off suggestions of ulterior motives.
He said police had contacted him and that he would appear with his lawyer to hand over evidence going beyond what he had already published. “There is nothing that personally concerns me. I hope they will investigate,” he added.
The investigation was also triggered by a formal complaint from Papadakis, who reported Drousiotis to the police chief for allegedly publishing false news — an offence carrying up to two years in prison under Article 50 of the Criminal Code.
His complaint also flagged the risk of evidence destruction under Article 120, calling on authorities to verify the authenticity of the screenshots.
Papadakis told philenews he still holds the mobile phone he used in 2019 — the period covered by the alleged communications — and is prepared to commission an independent forensic examination, with the expert’s findings to go directly to police.
He said he was in a position to prove he had no involvement in any of the message exchanges attributed to him.
Those named rejected the allegations firmly.
Michalakis Christodoulou called the claims “the pinnacle of morbid imagination and falsehoods,” said he was available to any competent authority, and added that “the least I would have expected from someone who calls himself an author was prior research.”
Nicos Anastasiades pointed to his book The Slanderer, saying it documents that Drousiotis is “not an innocent mythomaniac but a deliberately and consciously lying author,” and refused to engage further, saying he would await the outcome of the police investigation.
Former Supreme Court President Myron Nicolatos described the claims as “fiction,” categorically denied receiving any sum of money, and said he was available to the authorities.
Nicos Tornaritis said he had instructed his lawyers to examine the post and take all necessary steps, and called on state authorities to investigate fully.
Morfakis Solomonides went furthest, describing one screenshot as a fabricated image and saying Drousiotis had “surpassed even himself” with his latest post. He announced he would pursue a libel action and file a separate complaint with police.