Makarios Drousiotis was summoned to the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) Headquarters on Thursday, where he was questioned as part of the investigation into a case involving his book *Mafia State* and a possible breach of personal data, Police Spokesperson Byron Vyronos confirmed to CNA on Friday.
In a post on social media on Thursday, Mr. Drousiotis stated that he had been summoned to the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) Headquarters to give a statement regarding, as he put it, an “alleged violation of CIPA laws and personal data protection laws.”
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Mr. Drousiotis argued that, to the best of his knowledge, this is the first instance in which the legislation governing the Cyprus Intelligence Service (CIS) has been used for a criminal investigation of a journalist, citing “the use of national security as a weapon against journalism.”
According to his account, during the interrogation he was asked, among other things, which individuals were aware of the book’s content prior to its publication, how he came to know the information contained therein, and what the roles of the book’s editor and designer were. He added that he was also asked to comment on the covers of the two editions of *State Mafia*.
Mr. Drousiotis further claimed that he was asked whether he had obtained “any authorization from the competent authority” for the publication of his books. At the same time, he linked the timing of the filing of the complaint to the announcement by the Independent Anti-Corruption Authority regarding “State Mafia” and argued that this particular investigation is the third criminal investigation against him within a month.
