The Legal Service is one step away from completing its review of the case file in the ‘Sandy’ case. A new meeting was held yesterday afternoon at the Legal Service, where issues that emerged during the examination of the file were clarified.
Throughout the investigation, which followed an own‑initiative probe ordered by the Chief of Police, there has been continuous contact and cooperation between the police investigative team and the criminal law department of the Legal Service. Guidance from the Legal Service was also provided while the investigative work was ongoing.
A key issue that remains unresolved is whether official announcements will be made before Sunday’s parliamentary elections. The case has inevitably become linked to the elections, as there are references to individuals who are or were included on electoral ballots and are seeking a seat in the new Parliament.
It is expected to become clearer in the coming days whether announcements regarding the next steps in the case will be made by the Legal Service or by the Police. According to information, the prevailing view within the Legal Service is that the update should come from the Police, given that this is an investigation initiated by them.
Meanwhile, the case file has been supplemented with the report prepared by the FBI team that was recently in Cyprus. The FBI experts focused mainly on behavioural analysis, particularly of the central figure in the ‘Sandy’ case, examining possible causes of her actions as well as potential motives.
Regarding the analysis of data from mobile phones and USB devices that were sent to Europol’s forensic laboratory, the findings have not yet been delivered to the Police. It is believed they may be received within the week. It is recalled that the Police had expected the results shortly after Easter, without any explanation so far for the delay.
At the same time, Makarios Drousiotis and Nikos Clerides are also expected to receive, within the week, the results of forensic examinations carried out by a certified laboratory in the United Kingdom. On their own initiative, they submitted mobile phone devices and files in order to obtain their own technological assessment, mainly regarding the authenticity of the messages.
It is recalled that the Supreme Court’s decision granting Nikos Clerides permission to file an application to annul the search warrant executed at his home, office and vehicles includes extensive references to the investigator’s sworn statement presented before the Nicosia District Court that issued the warrant. Among other things, it refers to statements given by ‘Sandy’, in which she admitted that the messages presented in Makarios Drousiotis’ post and the related events did not correspond to reality.
It is further stated that ‘Sandy’ claimed she used the “Call Assistant” application to create the messages on her mobile phone and fabricated the conversations, which she then sent to the applicant (Nikos Clerides), falsely claiming their content was real. It is also described, based on the investigator’s testimony, that ‘Sandy’ said she had handed over the phone used to create the messages to Nikos Clerides for her own safety.
Arrests in focus
Almost two months after Makarios Drousiotis’ post brought the ‘Sandy’ case to the forefront, the key question remains whether arrests or prosecutions will follow.
Lawyer Simos Angelides, speaking to Alpha, expressed the view that arrests are inevitable. “Arrests will happen, whether the allegations are confirmed or whether it is shown that everything was false. In either case, there will be arrests,” he said.
