The Legal Service and the Police are searching for the appropriate mechanism through which they can obtain a formal deposition from Ioanna Fotiou, in relation to the allegations she has made on her social‑media accounts under the name Annie Alexoui.
Legal sources told Politis that, due to the particular circumstances, namely that Fotiou is not currently in Cyprus, authorities are examining the formula that would allow her to testify regarding her claims, which concern either herself, individuals and matters within the Police, or persons from the criminal underworld. Based on this, and following yesterday’s comments by Justice Minister Kostas Fytiris, it appears that the decision is to take a statement from the complainant (“Annie Alexoui”) and subsequently investigate her allegations.
However, for a deposition to be taken from Annie, a specific procedure must be followed. As officials explained to Politis, in such cases the law‑enforcement authorities of the Republic of Cyprus must submit a formal request to Russia, accompanied by a clear and substantiated report outlining the reasons for which the testimony is sought.
Approval of the request lies with the Russian authorities. If granted, Cypriot police officers may travel to Moscow for this purpose. Even then, the statement would not be taken by Cypriot officers but by Russian police, in the presence of their Cypriot counterparts. The same process applies should the complainant wish to hand over any material, documents, recordings or other evidence she claims to possess.
The procedure may also be carried out without the physical presence of Cypriot officers. In that case, Annie’s deposition would be taken by Russian police on the basis of a questionnaire sent by Cypriot investigators. She would answer the questions in their presence, and the Russian authorities would then forward the statement, possibly accompanied by evidence, to the Cyprus Police.
Regardless of the method, the essential point is that an official statement must be obtained from Ioanna Fotiou, along with any material she claims to hold, so that her allegations, whether concerning herself or other equally serious matters, can be properly examined.
The Justice Minister had already signalled developments regarding Fotiou’s claims in his remarks on state television. Kostas Fytiris said that the authorities intend to obtain information “through an institutional process” concerning what she has been posting on social media, and that developments are expected soon.
The minister noted that certain steps are already under way, but stressed that a case cannot be substantiated through social‑media posts alone. He added that testimonies and formal statements are required for an investigation to proceed. Asked who would be tasked with examining Annie’s allegations, he said: “We will decide this with the Legal Service. Either an independent investigator will be appointed or someone she trusts.” However, it is clear that without a deposition or specific evidence before it, the Legal Service cannot appoint a criminal investigator, something the minister himself acknowledged, emphasising that “institutions cannot receive evidence or statements publicly through social media. A solution will be found and we will have updates soon.”
Via WhatsApp
Following the minister’s comments about rooting out “rotten apples” within the Police, Annie herself appeared willing to send material directly to him. “I’ll send you on WhatsApp videos, recordings, conversations with all the police officers I dealt with and their behaviour… so you can see how they act in cases of covering up murder,” she said in a post.
In the same video she added: “How is it possible that I go to the Police with a hard drive containing video of me being… and they tell me to leave and come back with my guardian… and then tell me to leave again, to go to CID, and CID tells me it’s closed?”