Drousiotis releases new audio file, says govt working to discredit him

Journalist Makarios Drousiotis on Friday released a new audio file related to the accusations he has levelled against former supreme court judge Michalakis Christodoulou and his associates regarding a litany of alleged crimes committed against a woman known as ‘Sandy’.

The audio file, he said, constitutes a conversation held between ‘Sandy’ and journalist Stelios Orphanides following her escape to Germany, which he says was executed to ensure her safety.

In that file, a male voice, purportedly Orphanides, advises a woman to change her name for safety reasons.

Drousiotis said he had chosen to release a new filed on Friday as “the government has mobilised all the means at its disposal to ridicule me personally”.

He highlighted the sworn affidavit published by newspaper Phileleftheros on Thursday, which relates to the police’s search of the home and office of ‘Sandy’s’ lawyer Nikos Clerides, saying that “the ‘official position’ appears to be that the messages were fabricated by Sandy herself, who never went to Germany and has only one child”.

Drousiotis’ position is that ‘Sandy’ did go to Germany and that Christodoulou fathered three of her children, having earlier published a series of text messages he says were sent between ‘Sandy’, Christodoulou and other high-profile individuals.

“In other words, their stance is that it is a fabrication. The ultimate goal is to debunk the information mentioned in the messages about serious corruption cases. Sandy, then, is a mythomaniac, an obsessive, and everything mentioned in the messages about events she wanted to report is a lie,” he said.

As such, he said, “the conditions being created compel me to publicise yet another audio document”, despite the fact that he says that “it is not and has never been my intention to turn this matter into a serial”.

“I am obligated to do so in order to defend my position that in a state where institutions fulfil their duty, what I published should have been investigated by independent, experienced and specialised criminal investigators,” he said.

Phileleftheros, meanwhile, drew different conclusions, reporting on Friday that ‘Sandy’ has one child, whose father is not Christodoulou, and that Gesy and social insurance records show that she worked continuously in Cyprus between 2001 and 2023, thus ruling out the possibility of her ever having spent an extended period of time in Germany.

The newspaper also reported that she never worked at the presidential palace, and that she is now 45 years old.

Drousiotis had alleged on Thursday that ‘Sandy’ had been stabbed by Christodoulou, having earlier alleged that he raped her. The journalist has since given statements and handed material to the police over the matter.

Since then, police have searched Nikos Clerides’ home and residence, with former bar association chairman Christos Clerides on Saturday accusing the authorities of acting in a manner akin to “terrorism”.

He asked why the police have not searched the property of Christodoulou or ‘Sandy’.

It was then reported on Tuesday that the police are preparing a case against ‘Sandy’ with the intention of prosecuting her for document forgery, in relation to the material published by Drousiotis.

Christodoulou maintains his innocence, saying that he had “acted like a father” to ‘Sandy’.

Justice Minister Costas Fitiris, meanwhile, said that evidence gathered in connection with the case will be forwarded to the European Union agency for law enforcement (Europol).