The Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy has identified OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, as the American investor linked to a controversial €500,000 figure heard in a leaked video that has triggered allegations of financial impropriety and corruption inside the Presidential Palace.
Deputy Minister Nicodemos Damianou revealed that the sum refers to an educational programme currently under negotiation, following claims by opposition AKEL MP Christos Christofides that a “missing donation” may have been diverted away from state coffers.
The political firestorm was ignited by footage published by the “Emily Thompson” account on X, which led to the resignation of the Director of the President’s Office, Charalambos Charalambous. In the video, Charalambous is heard citing a €500,000 investment, a claim that was immediately called into question after Accountant General Andreas Antoniades confirmed no such contribution exists in the Republic’s treasury. Christofides subsequently suggested the funds were being “channelled elsewhere,” prompting a sharp rebuttal from the government regarding the nature of the transaction.
Damianou clarified that the government has been in “advanced discussions” with OpenAI since September 2025 regarding the “ChatGPT for Education” programme for technical schools. He maintained that the estimated cost of the initiative was transparently announced during a press conference on 09 January 2026.
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