Phileleftheros has reviewed more than 150 digital files at the centre of a widening public controversy involving a woman known as “Sandy,” and is publishing details of their nature and content in the public interest as a police investigation is under way.
The paper is withholding names and refraining from interpretation. It is disclosing the material on four grounds: the scale the controversy has reached; the fact that police are now formally investigating; the confusion generated by public interventions; and the fact that the files are already in the hands of a number of individuals.
The files have not been authenticated by any independent authority. The woman said to hold them has not indicated willingness to speak to investigators, and no formal submission to police has yet been made.
What the files contain
The files consist primarily of screenshots from messaging platforms including Telegram, Messenger, Signal and Viber, as well as SMS messages.
At least one audio message is also included, purportedly featuring a Greek government official in conversation with a Cypriot judicial officer. That recording has not been verified and cannot be attributed to specific individuals at this stage.
The screenshots were taken mainly from “Sandy’s” own device, but some appear to have been taken by photographing another person’s phone screen, revealing that person’s contacts and conversations. In some exchanges, earlier messages appear to have been deleted.
What the files purportedly show
The files centre on “Sandy’s” alleged long-term relationship with a former Supreme Court Judge (M. Christodoulou). That relationship and its fluctuations appear to provide the backdrop against which a series of broader allegations unfold, touching on the judiciary, law enforcement, political figures and financial dealings.
The person at the centre of the files purportedly appears in contact with senior Cypriot state officials, members of parliament and politicians across a wide range of matters. Among the specific elements Phileleftheros describes:
A senior judicial official appears in contact with officials spanning the legal and executive establishment. A party official appears to appeal to the judge (M. Christodoulou) for intervention in an internal dispute, writing: “Please, for one last time, make an intervention. I have called you many times and you have not answered. I would appreciate it greatly. We are not enemies.” The judge’s reply: “We are not particularly friends either.”
A senior police officer — then a station commander in Nicosia — appears to have made 25 calls to the judge within a few hours, with a accompanying note reading: “They are doing something together. Messages galore.”
A senior figure from the Attorney General’s office appears to query a judge about a criminal appeal. Phileleftheros checked court records and found the appeal was ultimately rendered moot and never heard.
Other elements include references to large financial transactions; an allegation that a case file went missing from the prosecution service; a reference to a loan management company and officials said to be connected to it; and references to theological and fraternal associations, including a mention of the Rosicrucians.
The allegations and responses
The controversy was triggered by a lengthy note published by researcher and author Makarios Drousiotis last Monday, alleging the files point to a parajudicial network, suspicious large-sum transactions, and criminal conduct by politicians, lawyers and other officials.
The former Supreme Court judge around whom allegations centre, has spoken publicly about the matter and strongly denied all allegations. He has filed a complaint with the CID in Nicosia against Drousiotis.
In televised appearances he did not conceal his distress at the accusations. A former MEP and a senior party official filed separate complaints over the weekend, all describing the allegations as entirely fabricated.
The police investigation
A three-member investigative team has been assembled but has not yet received the files from either Drousiotis, who committed to submitting them shortly, or from lawyer Nicos Clerides, who is said to have acted as “Sandy’s” legal representative and received the files in 2019. Clerides told investigators he does not have her consent to hand them over.
Drousiotis provided investigators with a written note last Friday. Clerides was questioned for around seven hours on Saturday.
