Charalambos Charalambous, the Director of the President’s Office, submitted his resignation on Monday, stating he refuses to allow his presence in government to be used as a “tool of exploitation” to damage the Republic of Cyprus or President Nikos Christodoulides.
The resignation follows the release of a video—linked by state intelligence to a Russian-led “Doppelganger” disinformation campaign—which used covertly recorded conversations to allege illegal campaign financing and institutional corruption. Officials have characterised the video as a “hybrid attack” aimed at destabilising the nation during its Presidency of the Council of the EU.
In a statement released on social media, Charalambous maintained that his comments in the video were subjected to “deliberate distortions” and “selective excerpts” taken out of context. He confirmed that he provided a formal statement to the police on Saturday to clarify the “real framework” of the recorded references.
“I will not, under any circumstances, accept the slightest shadow being cast on my integrity,” Charalambous said. “More importantly, I will not allow my presence in the government to be turned into a tool of exploitation with the aim of hurting the Republic of Cyprus or the President.”
Charalambous, who described his participation in the government as a “conscious choice to serve” rather than an act of political ambition, argued that his resignation was necessary for transparency. He urged state institutions to act swiftly to “restore the truth” and expose the “malice of the orchestrators of this attack.”
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