Developments in the case are unfolding rapidly. They will determine whether the sword of Damocles hanging over the Republic of Cyprus leads the country to full discredit and collapse, or whether the time has come for real change to begin.
Edited, yes — but…
At this stage, the facts before us are the following. According to Michalis Sivirianou, Dean of the School of Engineering and Technology at Cyprus University of Technology, analysis of the video through the Fast Check Cyprus mechanism shows no alteration of the voices of the Cypriot individuals featured in the footage. By contrast, the voices of the so-called “investors” are heavily distorted. The points where editing has occurred are clearly visible.
The narrator’s voice is the only element in the video that is likely to be an AI-generated product, with a probability of around 90 percent. Due to the editing, it is not clear whether the Director of the President’s Office, Charalambos Charalambous, is referring to Giorgos Lakkotrypis at the point where he mentions someone named Giorgos, nor whether businessman Giorgos Chrysochos is referring to President Christodoulides when he says, “he is like my girlfriend.”
The Emily Thompson profile
According to Sivirianou, it can neither be confirmed nor ruled out that the case constitutes a hybrid warfare operation. The Emily Thompson profile on X, created in July 2022, was primarily engaged until 2024 in reposting content related to political and geopolitical issues. Some posts were pro-Russian, while others adopted a neutral stance.
From 2024 to 2025, the posts were clearly pro-Russian. At the same time, however, the account’s profile photo displayed the Ukrainian flag — a tactic that, Sivirianou notes, aims to create confusion among audiences.
What is particularly striking, he adds, is that the profile, with just 500 followers, points to a persona — so far not identified as a real individual — who appears to publish opinion pieces in American magazines. The profile image used in those outlets, Sivirianou explains, is AI-generated, meaning there is no indication that the person actually exists.
Significant resources invested
Regarding the method employed, Sivirianou says it resembles classic Russian, Iranian, or Chinese disinformation techniques. However, the picture remains unclear as to who invested significant money and resources in an apparent effort to entrap President Nikos Christodoulides.
All of this is under scrutiny by the Cybercrime Division and the Intelligence Service. The outcome of the video analysis will also determine whether the government, the individuals involved, or the Attorney General of Cyprus will approach X to request the lifting of anonymity behind the controversial profile — a process that would be extremely difficult to pursue on the platform.
Criminal liability?
Another key question is whether, beyond the political and ethical responsibilities extensively examined in this report, the video can constitute reliable evidence in court, given the absence of witnesses from the producers of the material.
Legal sources speaking to Politis say that the framework under which such a case could be brought before a criminal court is based on legislation criminalising corruption, largely derived from the adoption of the relevant Council of Europe convention.
Under this legislation, which addresses influence peddling and abuse of office, if any individual presents themselves as having access to people in power and the ability to influence them, there may be grounds for suspicion that an offence has been committed.
The critical issue in this case is how the evidentiary material — namely the video — is treated, and whether, based on its content, the individuals appear to have access to power, or whether they are merely describing a process for expediting an investment.
It is evident that the content, particularly in light of the protagonists’ own acknowledgements of the facts, will ultimately be assessed by the Attorney General. Meanwhile, according to our information, the Independent Authority Against Corruption has not ruled out examining the case.