Questions regarding the criminal investigation involving journalist Makarios Drousiotis, following a complaint by a police officer who is named in the book "State Mafia," have been raised by the ALMA Movement.
In a statement, ALMA focuses, among other things, on the timing of the investigation’s launch, noting that it is underway at the same time that criminal investigations are being conducted into allegations contained in the book.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The announcement reads as follows
Four years after the publication of “Mafia State” and precisely at the moment when Makarios Drousiotis’s allegations are leading to a criminal investigation, the journalist himself suddenly finds himself under criminal investigation for what he published in 2022. The trigger was a complaint by a police officer named in the book—who is alleged to have been exposed as a member of the Cyprus Intelligence Service (KYP)—who, four years later, claimed that his personal data had been violated.
The timing raises serious questions. And one of them that must be answered immediately is: Who gave the orders to launch this investigation?
In 2022, Makarios Drousiotis published *The Mafia State*. It was a model of investigative journalism that led to the findings of the Independent Anti-Corruption Authority, according to which the former President of the Republic, Mr. N. Anastasiades, is alleged to have possibly committed seven offenses (including a felony). This was followed by the appointment of independent criminal investigators.
The Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General recused themselves from handling the case due to a conflict of interest: the former has acknowledged his 40-year friendship with Nicos Anastasiades, while the latter was involved in the “black van” case, which is documented in the book. Furthermore, both had served as ministers under Mr. Anastasiades.
It is noteworthy that, as soon as the criminal investigators were appointed, a criminal investigation was launched against the journalist himself for his reference to the “Mafia State”! According to reports, a police officer named in the book—who was allegedly revealed to be a member of the Cyprus Intelligence Service (CIS)—filed, four years later, a complaint to his colleagues in the police force alleging that his personal data had been violated.
The specific criminal penalty for disclosing one’s status as a member of the KYP was introduced in 2023, after the book was published, and cannot be applied retroactively. The Personal Data Protection Law itself provides for a specific procedure for filing complaints with the Commissioner for the Protection of Personal Data. One would therefore expect the Police to refer their colleague there, in the first instance. Instead, they immediately launched a criminal investigation into Mr. Drousiotis. It is difficult to shake the suspicion that the police function more as a servant of the system of power and less as an independent authority, guided by strictly professional standards of conduct. How can the Chief of Police expect citizens to trust the police tomorrow?
Our question is directed specifically to the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General:
Were they involved in any way in the launch of the investigation or in issuing instructions to the police? If so, how does this reconcile with the conflicts of interest for which they were already recused from the “Mafia State” case? If they were not involved, now that they are aware of this, what do they intend to do?
In the “black van” case—a flagrant case of surveillance and mass violation of personal data—criminal proceedings against all individuals were suspended. Today, however, the criminal justice system is taking action against a journalist for what he published four years ago—precisely when his valuable testimony is needed for the criminal investigation into his own allegations.
In a state governed by the rule of law, journalists and those who disclose information in the public interest must be protected. When, instead of being protected, they are intimidated, and the actions of those who wield the immense power of criminal prosecution instill fear in citizens, a major issue regarding the rule of law arises.
The reform of the Legal Service cannot be postponed any longer. Polls show that, under Savvidis and Angelidis, public trust in the Legal Service has collapsed. On October 2, as the Chair of the Legal Affairs Committee has pledged, the debate on the relevant bills must begin, and the separation of its powers must proceed without further delay.
