Journalist and author Makarios Drousiotis has accused former President Nicos Anastasiades of continuing to “control the system”, following the police press conference on the Sandy case.
In a post on social media, Drousiotis said attention should now turn to the forthcoming findings relating to the “Mafia State” investigation, which he described as the issue causing the greatest concern.
“We will talk after the announcements on Mafia State – that is what is really troubling them,” he wrote.
Commenting on the conclusions presented by police, Drousiotis said he had listened to the force’s statements and questioned the outcome of the investigation.
“In the end, neither Europol nor the FBI helped, but all the messages are said to be fabricated and the information false,” he wrote. “The police statements were aligned with what had been leaked to the media from the very first day of the investigation and the conclusion was identical to what Anastasiades had predicted, as he continues to control the system.”
Raising questions
Drousiotis also challenged the explanation given regarding the alleged fabrication of electronic communications.
According to his post, “a woman, without specialised knowledge, claimed she created hundreds of SMS, Viber and Signal messages using an application, including names, telephone numbers and detailed events that she was not in a position to know”.
He further criticised Police Chief Themistos Arnaoutis, saying he had presented this version of events as fact during a live televised appearance.
“The Chief of Police informed the public, during a live television appearance, that this is the truth and that is the end of the matter,” Drousiotis wrote.
He also alleged that Arnaoutis had found no connection between the case, Focus and the “Mafia State” allegations, adding that the police chief appeared unaware that the relevant report had already been submitted and only recently learned that its conclusions would be made public next week.
Mafia State
Drousiotis claimed the police had moved too quickly to conclude their investigation without waiting for the report’s findings.
“He was in a hurry to complete the police investigation and did not even wait for the report, perhaps in case it disrupted the narrative,” he wrote.
Concluding his remarks, Drousiotis said he hoped the publication of the “Mafia State” report would provide greater clarity.
“When the conclusions of the Mafia State report are announced, I hope he will see things differently. We will speak then,” he said.
Police announced on Tuesday that their investigation into the Santi case had concluded that the messages and information under examination were fabricated, a finding that has generated significant public and political debate.
