Talk of slander and mounting political tension surrounded the Alma movement on Friday, as its leader – the former auditor-general – Odysseas Michaelides and former University of Cyprus rector Constantinos Christofides lashed out at a former ally who accused them of harbouring corrupt figures within the movement.

Christofides announced he would sue anti-corruption activist Andreas Hasapopoulos for claiming Michaelides had allowed “corrupt individuals who should be jailed” to take leadership positions in Alma.

Christofides said Hasapopoulos was “talking nonsense”, and gave him 24 hours to retract his statements. Hasapopoulos said on social media he had no intention of doing so.

Michaelides dismissed the claims as “unsubstantiated,” insisting his party was “whiter than white” and had “nothing to fear.”

He stressed his “absolute zero tolerance” for corruption and called on anyone with evidence to hand it over to the authorities.

“Our polling momentum terrifies them. They know society has embraced Alma,” Michaelides said. “They are attacking because they are afraid of you and your determination to change Cyprus. Don’t fall for slander. A different Cyprus is feasible.”

Speaking on Omega TV, Christofides said Hasapopoulos was “not OK with numbers” in reference to allegations over the cost of the University of Cyprus’ library.

“When he said the library cost €8 million, he was apparently referring to the donation made by Dakis Ioannou,” Christofides explained.

The university awarded the tender at €29.7 million, with the final cost reaching €31.5 million after agreed modifications with the authorities.

“This project, five years later, cost six per cent more than the initial budget. If you look at the projects of the Republic of Cyprus you will see that, historically, six per cent is a record of good management,” he said.

Christofides added that €8 million had been a donation from the Ioannou family, which also covered the €2 million architect’s fee.

“The University of Cyprus has become a model for all other public services,” he pointed out.

He underlined that the university had been audited and that “in no case was there any deception” and thus Hasapopoulos was “talking nonsense”, Christofides said.

Christofides said he would sue Hasapopoulos over his posts on X and Facebook.

“Unfortunately for him, I have saved everything. I have a dossier and I will prosecute him and take it to the end. I am certain that my colleagues will be doing the same because these phenomena must stop once and for all,” he added.

Earlier on Friday, Hasapopoulos told Sigma that he had spoken about what he had seen and, whether they could be fixed or not, he felt “obliged to speak up”.

Hasapopoulos said his allegations could be backed up by audit reports.

“Investigations had not progressed because there were no witnesses to testify,” he added.

Regarding the University of Cyprus library, Hasapopoulos insisted that the original projected cost was €8m and that the government ended up paying the other €25m.

He furthermore referred to a person close to Odysseas Michaelides, who receives two salaries, declares one and “hides the other to avoid paying tax”.

Hasapopoulos also insisted he was right about Irene Charalambidou. “I declare that there is an agreement and she will be an Alma candidate” in next year’s parliamentary elections. He said anyone could deduce conclusions as to why Charalambidou or Odysseas were keeping quiet about it. “I have my own explanation,” he said.

Earlier this week, Hasapopoulos, the administrator of the ‘Fighting corruption’ Facebook page, told Alpha TV that one of Michaelides’ associates had already been charged with embezzlement of public funds and illegal procurement.

The Facebook page was created in August 2018 to support Michaelides, who “had been abandoned by Anastasiades’ government”, Hasapopoulos explained.

Referring to Alma, Hasapopoulos said he actively participated in the creation of Michaelides’ movement, however he was “sidelined” just before it was launched.

He added that four people on the panel launching the movement “should be in jail” and claimed Michaelides was aware of their alleged involvement.