Yesterday’s announcements by the Police leadership constitute a serious development. The findings, as presented publicly, conclude that no evidence emerged to substantiate key allegations raised by Makarios Drousiotis, and a significant part of the narrative appears to be dismantled.
This is a reality that cannot be ignored or bypassed. However, it would be equally wrong to consider that the case has been definitively closed with a press conference or a set of findings. Because justice – and above all the public sense of justice – does not function solely on conclusions but also requires convincing answers. From what was announced yesterday, questions arise that must be addressed.
Even legal experts who acknowledge that key claims appear to collapse point out that important aspects remain insufficiently clarified. For example, what was the mechanism for the creation or circulation of the disputed material? Was there an organised attempt at manipulation? What motives lay behind what was presented publicly? The ‘Sandy’ case reached such proportions that there is no room for gaps in the authorities’ findings.
Public opinion is not satisfied with partial answers. Every gap in information breeds suspicion, conspiracy theories and further erosion of trust.
The need is not to confirm one narrative over another, to vindicate one side and defeat the other. The real objective is to safeguard the credibility of institutions. The citizens of the Republic of Cyprus, and those who have chosen to live, create and invest in the country, must feel legal certainty.
The historic principle “Publicity is the soul of Justice,” attributed to the Swiss philhellene and journalist Johann Jakob Meyer, embodies society’s demand in Cyprus for thorough investigation without ambiguity, without ulterior motives and without compromise.
