Anastasiades says he offered advice to Christodoulides after corruption video release

Former president Nicos Anastasiades said he offered advice to his successor Nikos Christodoulides following the publication of a video which alleged campaign finance lawbreaking on the part of Christodoulides and his associates.

“I spoke, I expressed my regret to him, but I also suggested some things which would help reduce tensions,” he said during a Sunday evening appearance on television channel Alpha.

While he stopped short of expressing agreement with the government’s position that the video constituted a “hybrid” attack on Cyprus, he said that “there is no doubt that the timing of the release of the video creates come doubts about the intentions of those who released it, those who tried to extract the statements”.

“It is a fact. The day after the assumption of the presidency [of the Council of the European Union]. It is not a coincidence,” he said.

He also pointed out that the parts of the video in which Christodoulides’ associates, former minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis, his now former chief of staff Charalambos Charalambous, and Cyfield chief executive officer Giorgos Chrysochos, were speaking only contained short snippets of the people who were speaking to them asking questions.

“The edited material was made without hearing the questions of those who were pretending, of the other side,” he said.

Nonetheless, he said, “the content is such that it definitely causes reaction”, though he did stress that “I want to be very careful, respecting the procedures that are followed and the constitutional requirement of the presumption of innocence”.

“The entire tragedy that unfolded is under investigation. I believe that the political responsibilities were assumed with the resignation of the first lady and of Charalambous,” he said, before calling on Cyprus’ political parties to “wait instead of exploiting a crisis”.

“I am not ignoring its seriousness but let us not exaggerate to the extend that it may have the opposite of the intended results,” he said, before pointing out that a criminal investigator has now been appointed.

He stressed that “everything related to the video and everything that was said in the video is under investigation” and as such said that “it is good that we show restraint”.

The video first appeared on social media platform X on January 8, shared by an account using the handle “EmilyTanalyst” and the name “Emily Thompson”.

It features Charalambous and former minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis, who served alongside Christodoulides under Anastasiades, appearing to explain how they used and intended to continue to use cash donations to circumvent election campaign finance laws.

Both men also appeared to say that donations to Christodoulides by oligarchs under threat of appearing on international sanctions list would lead to him defending and assisting them to avoid sanctions from the European Union.

Chrysochos, meanwhile, appeared to say that he pays €250,000 per year for his access to the government.

Additionally, it was alleged that the social support body, a fund managed by the first lady of the day which offers financial assistance to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, was being used by donors to curry favours with Christodoulides.

The government has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.