‘Sandy’ refutes allegations as Clerides submits USB witness material to police

Lawyer Nikos Clerides announced on Monday that he will deliver a USB containing messages and related material attributed to a key witness known as ‘Sandy’ to the police, as investigations continue into allegations made public in recent days by journalist Makarios Drousiotis.

Speaking to Alpha TV, Clerides said the material, which includes a large volume of SMS messages and other digital records, was being reviewed and organised before submission to ensure accuracy and completeness.

“There are too many and we need to check them before we give them, that what we are giving are the correct SMSs that our client had given us,” he said, confirming that the files had been compiled onto a USB device and were expected to be handed over.

He said the decision to provide the material followed recent communication with his client, who had previously opposed any disclosure.

According to Clerides, she was informed that the evidence would have to be submitted either voluntarily or through legal means.

“I told her that they must be given, because if not, the court has means to issue a search warrant that will force me to give them,” he said.

However, Phileleftheros reported Clerides’ client has been in contact with the police herself and in apparent contradiction to her lawyer’s intention, allegedly questioned the validity of the text messages and evidence which she herself had presented to him.

According to the same publication, investigators are treating her recent statements “with caution” and suspect that they may have been made “under duress” and will seek to clarify with her in the coming days.

The material at the centre of the case was first provided to Clerides several years ago.

He said the woman initially approached him in 2019 in a state of fear and gradually shared messages, images and other records.

According to his account, the information was communicated over time, initially through indirect contact and later in more complete form in 2020.

Clerides said that after receiving the material, he chose to share it with a limited number of individuals for safeguarding purposes rather than immediately submitting it to the authorities.

He said this included his brother, the former attorney-general Costas Clerides, with the aim of ensuring that the material was preserved and assessed.

When pressed by Alpha news on whether his brother was still in office at the time of disclosure, Nikos Clerides insisted that details of the case were only discussed after the former attorney-general had left office and primarily related to the allegations regarding espionage conducted upon him by Costas Clerides’ former driver Morfakis Solomonides.

He indicated that this approach reflected concerns about the nature of the allegations and the individuals referenced within them.

According to Clerides, the woman later left Cyprus and fled to Germany with diplomatic assistance due to the sensitivity of the case and the “legitimate threat to her life”.

He said her departure took place under circumstances linked to concerns for her safety and involved assistance from an embassy based in Nicosia.

He added that she has since sought to remain out of public attention and has built a life abroad.

He confirmed that she is currently 45 years old and continues to reside outside Cyprus.

Recent developments and publicity surrounding the case have caused her distress, but that there has been no change in her position regarding testimony, he added.

Clerides described the material as extensive and said it includes dozens of SMS messages allegedly extracted from a mobile phone, along with references to individuals, professional relationships and interactions involving public life.

He said that while some of the allegations that have attracted attention relate to serious offences, the majority of the content concerns other matters.

“The majority, over 90 per cent, have nothing to do with the issue of paedophilia,” he said, in reference to the allegations levied against former supreme court judge Michalakis Christodoulou of having sexually abused Clerides’ client when she was underage.

He stressed that the key issue for investigators is not the content of the messages in isolation but whether they can be authenticated through proper technical analysis.

“The most important thing is to investigate and verify their authenticity,” he said, adding that the material must be examined by specialists before any conclusions are reached.

Clerides said he had already sought preliminary assessment from experts abroad with experience in analysing digital communications.

He also referred to separate allegations made by the woman relating to events during her youth, describing these as sensitive matters.

He said he had encouraged her to report such claims to the police at the time but that she declined.

He added that these issues should be treated independently and examined only through appropriate legal procedures.

Clerides said that the material eventually came into the possession of Drousiotis, who in recent days has made public allegations concerning a network involving political, judicial and financial figures.

He indicated that the material had initially been shared with individuals capable of assessing its credibility, including those with experience in investigative work.

Drousiotis has since submitted material to the police as part of the investigation.

Speaking on Sigma, police spokesperson Vyron Vyronos confirmed that evidence has been received and is under examination by designated investigative teams.

“We should not draw conclusions before the evidence is investigated,” Clerides said.

He also addressed the circumstances in which the material was not submitted to authorities earlier, stating that the decision was influenced by the nature of the content and concerns regarding how it would be handled by those who are implicated in the allegations themselves.

He said that the material references individuals in positions of authority and that this was taken into account when determining how to proceed.