Nicosia, Cyprus. Allegations against deputy chief Panikos Stavrou resurfaced on Tuesday after social media personality Ioanna Fotiou, known online as Annie Alexui, published references to a decade-old case and claimed she possesses video material linked to the allegations.
Court affidavit
Fotiou uploaded extracts from an investigator’s sworn statement submitted to the Nicosia district court in connection with the death of Alexis Mavromichalis, known as ‘Alexui’, with whom she had a close personal relationship.
The affidavit includes testimony from a witness alleging that people involved in criminal activity maintained contacts within the police force through intermediaries who could “arrange their business”.
According to the sworn statement, one recorded conversation referred to contacting “Panikos” about a matter, with the witness saying: “The good thing is we have people in the drug unit who help us, and once you pay, your job gets done.”
The testimony refers to the period when Stavrou served in the drug squad, known as Ykan, where he later became deputy head between 2013 and March 2018.
Claims about video footage
The affidavit also included allegations that Stavrou appeared in video footage receiving a briefcase containing money from other individuals.
According to the witness statement, the alleged footage was stored on a USB device that was later hidden inside a lift shaft.
Police later recovered the USB during investigations, according to the affidavit, but the device had reportedly been damaged and investigators were unable to retrieve any material from it.
In recent online posts, Fotiou said she may release the alleged video publicly.
No such material had been made public at the time of publication.
