Criminal investigations into "Sandi" and Drousiotis – 18 claims debunked
Cyprus Police has launched a criminal investigation into the fake messages in the "Sandi" case, targeting at least two individuals. The police spokesperson presented 18 claims that have collapsed.
Criminal prosecutions imminent in "Sandi" case – Drousiotis and the woman herself in the spotlight
Following directions from the Attorney General, Cyprus Police has begun an official criminal investigation into the fake messages in the "Sandi" case and into posts and statements that affect institutions and state officials, according to Philenews.
Police Chief Themistos Arnaoutis confirmed that at least two individuals have already been informed and will be called for questioning. From the nature of the cases being examined, both the "Sandi" herself — the 45-year-old woman known by this pseudonym — and journalist Makarios Drousiotis are "identified". It remains unknown, however, whether the authorities will expand the investigation to individuals located outside Cyprus who were involved through posts.
In the hands of the investigators is a statement from "Sandi" in which she admitted that she fabricated the messages herself, without the assistance of others. This admission constitutes in itself a criminal offence of forgery, according to legal assessments presented by Philenews.
Greek authorities and the Court of Cassation
In parallel, Greek authorities are investigating potential criminal offences following a complaint by Giorgos Mylonakis, director of the Prime Minister's Office, before he suffered a stroke. The complaint was filed against all those responsible at the Court of Cassation. It is expected that the assistance of the Cypriot authorities will be sought in the context of this procedure.
The 18 claims that collapsed
Police spokesman Vyron Vyronos presented in detail the results of the two-month investigation, recording 18 claims that were debunked:
- Sexual abuse of minor "Sandi" by former judge with initials M.H. and birth of a girl named Elpida on 27/01/1997, who supposedly died from leukaemia on 15/02/2008.
- Claim by K.K. that her uncle saw her with M.H. at a ranch in Anagyia, where they allegedly met secretly whilst she was a minor.
- Acquiring three children with former judge M.H..
- Death of K.K.'s father from electrocution in the bathroom.
- Death of former wife of former judge M.H..
- K.K.'s trip with M.H. to Nice, France when she was 15 years old and accommodation in a villa.
- Causing bodily harm to K.K. by M.H..
- K.K.'s move to Germany via a journalist with initials S.O. and accommodation in a women's shelter.
- Interception of messages from the mobile phone of former judge M.H..
- Transfer of €850,000 in instalments from the Brotherhood of the "Rosy Cross" to buy K.K.'s silence.
- Employment of K.K. at the Presidential and Legal Service.
- Employment of K.K. at the Post Office with the assistance of Andreas Grigorios.
- Shares of M.H. and his wife S.H. in the Go Gordian company.
- Audio file of "Sandi" with "Mylonakis".
- Bugs at the Legal Service with reference to the name Morfakis Solomonidis.
- Claim of K.K.'s meeting with the Attorney General.
- Claim regarding the appointment of the Attorney General and the Assistant Attorney General.
- Claim that the anonymous user with the pseudonym User 6 was M.H., who sent threatening messages to N.K.. Also debunked was a claim of a message sent by judge M.M. to M.H. with thanks regarding appointment to the position of District Judge.
How the 45-year-old tracked down names
The Police Chief explained how the 45-year-old woman managed to find names and telephone numbers of individuals, mainly in Greece, and create audio or written messages that appeared to originate from these same people: she herself searched for data on the internet and located telephone numbers that were publicly accessible. In the case of Giorgos Mylonakis, the Police found a Turkish Cypriot whose mobile phone was used in the audio recordings — he stated that he had no connection whatsoever to the case, and the actual associate of Mr Mylonakis who is heard in the video also stated that it is not his voice.
Arnaoutis: No political interference
The Police Chief firmly rejected claims of political pressure regarding the timeline for releasing the report — after the parliamentary elections and shortly before the report on journalist Drousiotis's book "Mafia State". He stated that the Police had no involvement in the pre-election period and that the timing of the presentation was simply due to the investigations being completed now. Regarding the assessments of Europol and the FBI, Arnaoutis stated that Europol reached the same conclusions as the Cypriot investigation, whilst the FBI noted that the methods and procedure followed were in line with internationally accepted standards.
Drousiotis: "Aligned with Anastasiades"
Journalist Makarios Drousiotis was the first to react, referring to former President Anastasiades and the forthcoming report on "Mafia State". "I heard the Police announcements. It turns out that neither Europol nor the FBI helped but the messages are all 'forged' and the information is false," he wrote. "The Police announcements were aligned with what was leaked to the press from the first day the investigation began and the conclusion identical to what Anastasiades announced beforehand, who continues to control the system," he added. According to Drousiotis, it is impossible for a woman without specialized knowledge to have fabricated alone using an application hundreds of SMS, Viber and Signal messages, with names, telephone numbers and details that she could not have known.
Source: Philenews