The committee appointed by Attorney General Giorgos Savvidis has recovered the full original audiovisual material that led to the creation of the controversial “Emily Thompson” video. The material is now being examined as part of an investigation led by former Supreme Court judge Andreas Paschalides.
According to sources close to the investigation, the company behind the operation is the private intelligence firm Black Cube. The firm has reportedly agreed to provide the investigative team with the unedited recordings, while maintaining that it will not reveal the identity of the client that commissioned the operation.
Recovery of original material
The committee announced that it has secured the complete primary material used to produce the video that allegedly implicates several prominent figures in Cyprus in corruption practices involving foreign investors.
Among those appearing in the video are the Director of the Office of the President, Charalambos Charalambous, former Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis and Cyfield CEO Giorgos Chrysochou.
Sources close to the investigative team state that Black Cube, which maintains offices in Tel Aviv, London, Madrid and Singapore, has agreed to hand over the full recordings of the conversations captured during the covert operation.
The company reportedly clarified two points to the investigators. It stated that it was acting on behalf of a private company rather than a state actor, and therefore the video should not be interpreted as part of a hybrid warfare operation between states.
Former Supreme Court judge Andreas Paschalides, who heads the investigation, announced on Monday 6 April that he had requested and received a two-month extension of his mandate from the Attorney General in order to examine the newly obtained audiovisual material.
He noted that the full recordings were obtained following coordinated efforts and are currently being evaluated. A significant number of testimonies have also been collected in Cyprus and abroad. The mandate of the independent investigator now runs until June, when he is expected to submit his findings.
The video
The eight-minute video was uploaded online on 8 January through the X account “Emily Thompson”. It portrays what is presented as a network of alleged corruption and “pay-to-access” practices between business interests and political figures in Cyprus.
According to a source involved in the investigation, the ultimate target of the operation was President Nikos Christodoulides.
The video was published one day after the official ceremony marking the start of the Cypriot Presidency of the European Union. It combines narration with excerpts from covertly recorded conversations between individuals presenting themselves as investors and three prominent figures from Cypriot public life.
These include former Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis, Cyfield CEO Giorgos Chrysochou and Charalambos Charalambous, who at the time served as Director of the President’s Office.
The individuals posing as investors, believed to be operatives of Black Cube, approached the figures claiming interest in investing €150 million in the energy sector in Cyprus, including the Cyfield power station at Vasiliko. One of the individuals introduced himself as “Florin Gheorghiu”.
The video’s narrator alleges that favouritism remains entrenched in Cyprus, raising claims of corruption, illegal campaign financing linked to the presidential election of Nikos Christodoulides and mechanisms of privileged access.
The Presidential Palace rejected the allegations, describing them as “a product of fabrication, distortions and hybrid interference”. Both Lakkotrypis and Chrysochou argued that the video was manipulated through selective editing of conversations taken out of context.
Charalambous maintained that he had done nothing improper but resigned from his position four days later. In relation to the Social Support Fund of the First Lady, which is also referenced in the video, its responsibilities have since been transferred to another body.
Thirty hours of recordings
Investigators are now examining the full audiovisual archive to determine its complete content and to clarify who commissioned the covert operation.
According to sources close to the investigation, the individuals posing as investors also met or spoke with other figures in Cypriot public life. It remains unclear whether these interactions appear in the unedited recordings obtained by the investigative team.
Among those mentioned are former Foreign Affairs and Commerce Minister Giorgos Lillikas and energy sector businessman Akis Ellinas.
Lillikas told Politis that he had never met the person identifying himself as Florin Gheorghiu and had no knowledge of the individual.
Ellinas stated that he participated in a brief video call involving Gheorghiu and Giorgos Lakkotrypis to discuss potential cooperation with a Dutch investment fund allegedly represented by Gheorghiu.
“I told him that if he wished to cooperate we would need to sign a confidentiality agreement. I sent all the documents but received no reply,” Ellinas said. He later provided testimony to the police describing his short interaction with the purported investors.
What is Black Cube
According to its official website, Black Cube was founded in 2011 by veterans of elite Israeli intelligence units. The firm describes itself as “the world’s leading intelligence company”.
It claims to have been involved in more than 540 cases across 75 countries and to operate with agents speaking 30 languages.
The company states that it conducts sophisticated intelligence operations using HUMINT methods, meaning human intelligence gathering, supported by open source intelligence and advanced technological capabilities.
Its personnel reportedly include former intelligence officers, lawyers and operatives with experience in Israeli intelligence agencies. The firm says its agents operate as “social engineers”, constructing complex scenarios designed to gather evidence in international litigation and financial crime investigations.
Black Cube states that it uses undercover identities and realistic scenarios to expose unlawful practices and collect evidence. It also claims that its operations comply with the laws of the jurisdictions in which they take place and that the findings are intended only for lawful use.
Controversial operations
Despite these claims, the firm has faced criticism in several cases internationally.
On 26 March 2026, the Associated Press reported that Slovenia’s intelligence service confirmed what it described as “indisputable foreign interference” in the country’s parliamentary elections. According to a government statement, evidence was presented linking Black Cube activities to counter-intelligence operations and foreign interference.
Politico reported that agents of the company were accused of leaking recordings aimed at undermining the government of Prime Minister Robert Golob by linking it to corruption allegations.
The firm has also been associated with other high-profile cases internationally, including the Harvey Weinstein investigation.
Politis sent a request to Black Cube seeking comment on its alleged involvement in the “Emily Thompson” video. No response had been received at the time of publication.