Drousiotis: Christodoulides acted as a ‘fixer’ for Rosicrucian brotherhood

Journalist and Volt parliamentary candidate Makarios Drousiotis on Tuesday linked President Nikos Christodoulides to a network he describes as the ‘Rosicrucian brotherhood’, claiming he acted as a fixer between former president Nicos Anastasiades and late banker Andreas Vgenopoulos.

He also questioned the integrity of police handling of corruption allegations and reiterated claims of institutional coordination involving the presidency, the legal service and the police, particularly in relation to Focus Maritime Cooperation and the collapse of Cyprus’ banking sector linked to Laiki Bank.

Drousiotis alleges Christodoulides acted as a ‘fixer’ for the Rosicrucian brotherhood in a narrative that connects past political appointments, prosecutorial decisions and banking investigations to what he describes as a structured system operating within state institutions.

He claims the President previously acted as an intermediary between Anastasiades and Vgenopoulos, stating that Christodoulides “was sent as a personal envoy” during his tenure as director of the diplomatic office.

He said Anastasiades “sent the then director of his diplomatic office, Nikos Christodoulides, as his personal envoy to Vgenopoulos to meet him at his office in Athens” and that Christodoulides “confirmed the mission and claimed that Vgenopoulos asked to see Anastasiades, he himself did not want to see him and it was decided that I should meet him and hear what he had to convey to him”.

Drousiotis argues that Vgenopoulos exerted pressure on Cypriot authorities to halt investigations, writing that proceedings were influenced by attempts to control or redirect prosecutions.

He has also previously claimed that Anastasiades appropriated the lion’s share of a €500,000 donation to his party by Vgenopoulos which was contributed shortly before the 2008 presidential election.

Drousiotis also alleged the Focus Maritime Cooperation structure formed part of a mechanism through which large sums were transferred.

He said “hundreds of millions that were channelled through Focus” and described it as central to understanding the financial disputes under investigation in multiple jurisdictions.

The Focus defendants included former Laiki Bank executives and financial officials, Michalis Zolotas, Michael Fole, and former Central Bank governor Christodoulos Christodoulou, alongside other individuals connected to financial management structures and consultancy entities.

He referred to rulings by the supreme court which annulled arrest warrants and subsequent decisions by the criminal court which initially halted proceedings against defendants Zolotas and Fole on the basis that continuation of prosecution constituted “an abuse of the judicial process”.

Drousiotis also referenced the eventual acquittals issued in July 2020 by the criminal court, which followed a series of procedural developments including the absence of defendants from proceedings and contested rulings on whether trials could continue without physical presence.

He remarked that supreme court judge Stelios Nathanael had ruled that proceedings could continue in absence due to “professional obligations” and financial constraints linked to repeated travel.

He linked these developments to changes in the leadership of the legal service, including the departure of then attorney-general Costas Clerides and the appointment process that followed.

He argued that the timing of institutional changes influenced court decisions in the final phase of the Focus case, particularly regarding whether appeals were pursued following acquittals.

Drousiotis claims that internal communications contained in what he describes as the ‘Sandy archive’ demonstrate coordination between political and administrative figures during key phases of the legal proceedings.

He attributed several messages to individuals allegedly connected to state institutions and political offices, including figures identified in his material as intermediaries between political leadership and judicial processes.

Among the communications cited is an alleged message attributed to Greek deputy minister Giorgos Mylonakis stating “Anastasiades called, he’s going to appoint Savvides as General and Angelides as assistant. He’s going to appoint our people because of brotherhood”, which Drousiotis presented as evidence of coordinated appointments within the legal service during the transition period in 2020.

Drousiotis further cited alleged internal discussions involving legal and political figures during the period leading up to the appointment of Savvides and Angelides.

The government has rejected claims that any individual referred to as Sandy was employed by the Presidential Office, stating that checks found no record supporting such an employment relationship.

Police have confirmed that digital material submitted by Drousiotis, including 137 items of electronic evidence and a detailed written statement, has been sent to Europol for forensic analysis.