Former Auditor General Odysseas Michaelides has announced his intention to appeal a ruling by the Nicosia District Court that found him liable for defamation and ordered him to pay €15,000 in damages.
In a statement posted online, Michaelides referred to a 2015 official letter he sent in his capacity as Auditor General to the then Health Minister. The letter was also circulated to institutional bodies as part of an audit concerning a public contract in the field of organ transplantation.
According to Michaelides, the court examined the letter as an act falling outside the scope of his official responsibilities at the time and, on that basis, concluded that it had been issued in bad faith.
He also claimed that the court linked its assessment to a separate 2024 ruling that led to his dismissal from the post of Auditor General, a judgment which, he said, the court described as “eloquent”.
Michaelides stated that, following legal advice and with full respect for the judicial process, he intends to file an appeal against the decision.
No further details regarding the appeal process were immediately available.
