Makarios Drousiotis and Kyriaki Kyriakou, known as "Sandy", were referred to the Criminal Court on Wednesday and are due to stand trial in December over a case that has drawn widespread public attention since earlier this year.
The first hearing before the Criminal Court has been scheduled for 15 December, with both defendants remaining at liberty on €10,000 bail.
Drousiotis was represented by lawyer Leto Karyolou, while Sandy submitted an application for legal aid.
101 charges filed
The case was registered in July by officers from Police Headquarters' Criminal Investigation Department acting on instructions from the Legal Service.
The indictment contains 101 charges, including:
- Forgery.
- Circulation of forged documents.
- Publication of false information.
- Harassment.
The most serious allegations relate to the preparation and circulation of forged documents, offences that carry prison sentences of up to seven years upon conviction.
Under Cyprus law, the offence of publishing false information may carry a prison sentence of up to two years, a fine, or both, although defendants may rely on a defence that the publication was made in good faith and based on facts that justified its publication.
Case stems from March publication
The proceedings arise from an online article published by Drousiotis on 30 March.
The publication contained allegations concerning a range of matters, including claims relating to the alleged sexual harassment of a minor by a judge, suicides, an alleged nationwide economic crime network referred to as the "Brotherhood of the Rosicrucians", the black surveillance van case, alleged surveillance devices within the Legal Service, the appointments of Giorgos Savvides and Savvas Angelides, the Focus case and allegations of bribery.
The central figure in the publication was Kyriaki Kyriakou, whom Drousiotis identified under the pseudonym "Sandy". The case subsequently became widely known as the "Sandy case".
Police investigation
The police investigation included statements from all individuals connected to the case, including Drousiotis and Sandy.
Authorities also examined electronic devices as part of a forensic analysis.
In June, police convened a press conference during which senior officers stated that the content of the publication was based on fabricated messages.
Police said that conclusion was supported by statements provided by Sandy, who allegedly explained how the messages were created and identified the application used to generate them.
Attention turns to defence strategy
With the judicial process now under way, attention is expected to focus on the legal strategies adopted by the two defendants.
According to the report, Sandy has effectively acknowledged creating the messages at the centre of the investigation, raising questions over whether she will admit some or all of the offences she faces.
Drousiotis, meanwhile, is expected to plead not guilty, consistent with positions he has publicly maintained throughout the case.
The matter will now proceed to the Criminal Court, where the trial is scheduled to begin in December.
