Who is responsible for the acquittal of Syllouris and Giovanis? Based on a first, sober scenario, one could say: no one. The individuals were brought before the court, a long trial took place, and, considering the arguments from both sides, the court made its decisions. The defendants were found innocent.
Some propose a second scenario: that the prosecutors from the Legal Service who handled the case did not do their job properly, as hinted at by the judges of the Three-Member Criminal Court. Therefore, the court had no choice but to acquit Messrs Syllouris and Giovanis. They did not call as witnesses those who recorded the video, nor did they prove that the accused received any benefits. As a result, the court had no alternative but to acquit them.
Of course, a third scenario is possible: the court interpreted the reliability of the video very narrowly, as it was not accepted as evidence because it was recorded illegally, and thus we ran into issues with the Personal Data Law. Conclusion: when a camera records you running through the streets without your consent, or when it records you hitting a rival fan at the stadium, you commit no offence. At least, that seems to be the public’s perception—that the one committing the crime is the fool who installed the cameras without asking you.
Anti-Corruption Authority report delayed
The report of the Anti-Corruption Authority on the “Mafia State” affair will eventually be published after the parliamentary elections in May. According to a source from the Authority, a lengthy announcement explaining the delay will be issued within the week.
It was clarified that the report has been almost fully submitted to the Authority in stages, but several weeks of study are required to prepare the full report. The investigation team, as known, consists of the Australian lawyer Gabrielle McIntyre and the Cypriot lawyers Charilaos Chrysanthou, Orestis Nikitas, and Andreas Efthymiou. They will submit their findings to the Authority, which will be responsible for announcing them. The Authority may also agree or disagree with the findings, which will determine whether Nikos Anastasiades is found innocent or will face charges and be brought before the court by the Legal Service.
Cat thefts and animal welfare concerns
Some individuals are stealing cats and terrorising animal lovers who protest. During a parliamentary session on Wednesday regarding this issue, animal welfare organisations blamed the police for the “terror” currently prevailing.
Dinos Agiomamitis, president of the Association for the Protection and Welfare of Cats and member of the Pan-Cyprian Coordinating Committee for Animal Welfare, stated that the social unrest over the disappearance reports, which led to threats against volunteers, arose because the police did not respond immediately to investigate the first complaint made at the end of January.
He explained that, due to the police’s lack of prompt response, he was forced, as a member of the Pan-Cyprian Coordinating Committee, to conduct a surprise inspection on Tuesday with a member of the Nicosia District, at the home of a woman alleged to be taking cats from a supermarket in Latsia. To his pleasant surprise, he found that 50–60 cats were living in excellent conditions.
This is good news, but there are two other categories of cat-related actions. First, animal lovers feed cats in various neighbourhoods, leaving food outside homes, parks, pavements, and elsewhere. This causes irritation even among cat enthusiasts, because the congregation creates other problems, including incessant dog barking. Second, miscreants distribute poisoned food to cats, intending to kill them. Cyprus, as the land of beautiful cats, could pursue something different—perhaps developing a cat breeding and export industry to Western European countries.
Anastasiades’ tour on the Cyprus problem
As we understand, to inform DISY members and safeguard his legacy, former DISY president Nikos Anastasiades will speak in various district committees about the Cyprus issue. His tour, beginning shortly in Nicosia, will focus on the Crans-Montana talks—what happened, why no agreement was reached, and why, as he recently said, DISY should no longer discuss solutions along that line, as it would strengthen ELAM.
It is reasonable for some to worry about what he will say, considering the sudden transformations of the esteemed Mr Anastasiades, but let’s face it: who is paying attention to the Cyprus issue these days?
The negotiators and Cyprus diplomacy
We have seen this before with negotiators and others involved in Cyprus. One is unfair (De Soto), another is pro-Turkish (Hani), and a third makes hasty proposals for political gain, seeking election as Prime Minister in his home country (Espen Barth Eide). Behind these rumours has always been the government, whether Tassos, Anastasiades, or earlier administrations.
The same story repeats itself today, with Anastasiades’ best student following the same pattern. Christodoulides targets Olguín, who deals with the Cyprus issue, allegedly to advance her ambitions, primarily to become UN Secretary-General. To achieve this, her country, Colombia, must support her, particularly by electing her partner Sergio Fajardo Valderrama as president. Critics claim Olguín works so hard for his election that she has no time for Cyprus.
Simply put: Olguín is not favoured by the Christodoulides government because she works hard and offers ideas beyond the conventional framework. Her husband’s chances of UN involvement seem limited, as Sergio Fajardo currently trails other candidates in 2026 elections. For context, he placed third in the 2018 presidential elections and fourth in 2022. He officially announced his 2026 candidacy on 20 July 2025, emphasising education, public safety, and crime reduction as pillars of his political platform.
Tensions surrounding negotiations
UN Secretary-General António Guterres logically supported Maria Ángela Olguín after attacks by Nikos Christodoulides. Some Turkish Cypriots also appear dissatisfied, as the Colombian diplomat seems to be pushing beyond what the two leaders can accept.
The Cyprus issue appears difficult, and unless the leaders find solutions themselves in the coming days, the situation could worsen. Rumours suggest that, following a joint Christodoulides-Erhürman meeting, some checkpoints may open, though current evidence does not support this. If nothing happens soon, the Cyprus issue could be effectively over, and Olguín is unlikely to return without progress.
Erhürman between Christodoulides and Ertugruloglu
Everyone circles around, with Erhürman in the middle. Christodoulides asks him to clarify the solution he wants, implying he uses different rhetoric but essentially aligns with Ankara, as did Tatar. Ertugruloglu in the occupied areas accuses him of abandoning the two-state solution and opposing Ankara’s preferred outcome.
Who is right? The only certainty is that both Christodoulides and Ertugruloglu agree in criticising Erhürman. History repeats itself: in 2004, Denktaş and Tassos Papadopoulos held secret meetings via representatives in Plaka and Strakka to kill the Annan Plan. Ertugruloglu is more candid: he wants two states and means it. Our own negotiator lacks the courage to say so, thereby undermining Erhürman, who accepted political equality in the first meeting based on UN and Security Council resolutions advocating a federal solution.