Nicosia, Cyprus. Special investigator Andreas Paschalides has been summoned to an extraordinary meeting of the House ethics committee on July 31 to discuss his findings on the Videogate affair. It remains unclear whether he will attend.
Committee scrutiny
Committee chair Demetris Demetriou of Disy confirmed that Paschalides has been summoned.
MPs are expected to question the investigator over issues they believe were not addressed in his statement earlier this week. They are also expected to request the full investigative dossier.
Investigative dossier
The dossier is currently with the attorney-general’s office.
The attorney-general is unlikely to provide it to the committee, on the grounds that the findings are still being assessed and that disclosure could affect possible future criminal proceedings.
Investigator’s findings
Paschalides said no criminal wrongdoing was identified among public figures appearing in a video leaked in January, which alleged pay-to-play influence peddling and campaign finance law violations involving President Nikos Christodoulides and his associates.
He said the video was “not authentic” but “the product of editing” and therefore, in addition to being the product of unconstitutional actions and inadmissible testimony, had little or no probative value.
Paschalides referred to three Cypriots in the video, two known for active involvement in political affairs and one known for business activities. He said the apparent objective of producing the video was to harm the Republic of Cyprus rather than private interests.