Nicosia, Cyprus. Journalist Makarios Drousiotis on Friday released a new audio file connected to accusations he has made against former supreme court judge Michalakis Christodoulou and associates regarding alleged crimes against a woman known as ‘Sandy’. The publication came amid competing accounts about whether ‘Sandy’ travelled to Germany and how many children she has.
Audio file and claims about Germany
Drousiotis said the audio file contains a conversation between ‘Sandy’ and journalist Stelios Orphanides after her escape to Germany, which he said was carried out to ensure her safety. In the recording, a male voice, described by Drousiotis as purportedly Orphanides, advises a woman to change her name for safety reasons.
Response to government stance and affidavit
Drousiotis said he released the new file because “the government has mobilised all the means at its disposal to ridicule me personally”. He referred to a sworn affidavit published by Phileleftheros on Thursday about the police search of the home and office of ‘Sandy’s’ lawyer Nikos Clerides, saying the “official position” appeared to be that messages were fabricated by Sandy herself, that she never went to Germany, and that she has only one child.
Dispute over messages and paternity claims
Drousiotis said ‘Sandy’ did go to Germany and that Christodoulou fathered three of her children. He has previously published text messages he says were exchanged between ‘Sandy’, Christodoulou and other high-profile individuals.
He said the position he described amounted to a claim that the story was fabricated, adding: “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.
Reasons for further disclosures
Drousiotis said “the conditions being created compel me to publicise yet another audio document”, although he added “it is not and has never been my intention to turn this matter into a serial”. He said he was doing so to defend his position that what he published should have been investigated by independent, experienced and specialised criminal investigators.
Phileleftheros reporting
Phileleftheros reported on Friday that ‘Sandy’ has one child whose father is not Christodoulou, and said Gesy and social insurance records show she worked continuously in Cyprus between 2001 and 2023. The newspaper said this ruled out the possibility that she spent an extended period of time in Germany.
What do you make of the conflicting accounts about whether ‘Sandy’ travelled to Germany and how many children she has?