Cyprus Police are continuing their investigation into the Sandy case and expect to send collected evidence to Europol for scientific examination, police spokesman Vyron Vyronos said on Thursday, while declining to go into detail on several key aspects of the inquiry.
Vyronos told the Cyprus News Agency that "a number of pieces of evidence" would be submitted for scientific evaluation, but declined to say whether these include mobile devices or Sandy's own device, citing the need to protect the integrity of the investigation. He added that the public would receive a further update once the Europol results are received.
"The evidence collected so far will be sent to Europol for scientific examination. Europol is an independent European agency. We believe that the examination of these files will leave no room for the results to be challenged, whatever they may be," he said.
Asked whether Europol's laboratories are better equipped than those of the Cypriot authorities, Vyronos declined to elaborate.
On the question of whether Sandy has been called in or has given a statement, the spokesman again cited the need to protect the investigation, neither confirming nor denying that a statement has been taken.
Vyronos said the investigation is ongoing, that a number of statements have already been taken, and that further testimony may be sought from any person who can provide relevant information if deemed necessary. "All evidence is being evaluated and studied. If needed, additional statements will be taken from any person who can provide relevant information," he said.
On the timeline for the Europol examination, Vyronos said it was not possible to set a specific timeframe. He also rejected any suggestion that the case had been affected by delays or leaks, saying public updates are provided "to the extent required."
Source: CNA