Rumours emerged last week that an arrest warrant had been issued against Makarios Drousiotis in connection with the 'Sandy' case. These claims were never officially confirmed by the Police. However, they circulated widely, mainly on social media, while Drousiotis himself referred in a post to the existence of an arrest warrant against him.
As he stated, “I have confirmed that around mid‑April the Police, under political guidance from the Presidential Palace, issued an arrest warrant against me. The information was leaked to the press, along with the charges, while the president of DIKO, Nikolas Papadopoulos, was publicly calling for my punishment over alleged fake news. They eventually backed down, fearing public opinion, and instead invested in leaking false information to discredit me. The fact that the Presidential Palace fully controls leaks from the Police is confirmed by the total lack of transparency in the Videogate investigation.”
These claims prompted a response from the Police, who clarified that at no point was an arrest warrant issued against Makarios Drousiotis in relation to the case.
“Furthermore, no such warrant was ever issued and therefore reports about its alleged non‑execution do not reflect reality. This clarification is deemed necessary to avoid misleading the public and creating incorrect impressions regarding the procedures followed by the competent authorities, as well as to safeguard citizens’ right to valid and substantiated information,” the Police said.
Following the Police statement, Drousiotis responded with a new post, claiming, among other things, that “from the Police denial, two things may apply: first, that the Police is lying in its statement, and second, that it was lying when it deliberately leaked and indirectly conveyed to me that my arrest was imminent, as a measure of psychological pressure and intimidation.”
In the same post, Drousiotis added that “after assuming his duties, Police Chief Themistos Arnaoutis issued a circular instructing members of the force that leaking information to the media constitutes a criminal offence of corruption. How many times has he activated this rule regarding the leaks of recent weeks? Or are there exceptions when leaks are made under political instructions?”
At the Legal Service
As for the substance of the case, no further update emerged yesterday. Following the completion of the investigative process, the case file has been forwarded to the Legal Service, where the criminal law department has begun reviewing and evaluating it. The Legal Service will first determine whether additional investigative actions are required and should be requested from the Police, or whether the file is complete and decisions can be taken on whether to proceed with criminal prosecutions.
Meanwhile, regarding the broader 'Sandy' case, the Ministry of Justice had stated on 5 May that the minister would review the report and then brief the President of the Republic, with any public statements to follow only after that briefing. To date, however, no official update has been provided, apart from information that the issue of appointing independent criminal investigators is considered closed by the Presidential Palace.
