Lawyer Nikos Clerides stressed on Monday that trust in the police investigation into rape and corruption claims made by client ‘Sandy’ risks “collapsing” if reports concerning her alleged statement were leaked by authorities.

He was speaking as conflicting accounts emerge between him and ‘Sandy’ over crucial evidence tied to allegations made public by Makarios Drousiotis last week.

Responding to reports in Phileftheros that ‘Sandy’ had given a statement and questioned the authenticity of material previously attributed to her, Clerides raised concerns over confidentiality and the integrity of the investigative process.

“If this information was indeed leaked by the police and the confidentiality of the investigation was not ensured, then our trust in the impartial and reliable investigation collapses,” he said.

He added that he had sought clarification from police as recently as Saturday and had been assured that no statement by ‘Sandy’ had been given at that stage.

Investigators are said to be treating her statements with caution, amid concerns they may have been made under duress.

Clerides had earlier confirmed he will proceed with submitting a USB containing messages and related digital material attributed to the witness to the police.

Speaking to Alpha TV, he said the material, which includes a large volume of SMS messages and other digital records, was being reviewed and organised before submission to ensure accuracy and completeness.

He said the decision to provide the material followed recent communication with his client, who had previously opposed any disclosure.

According to Clerides, she was informed that the evidence would have to be submitted either voluntarily or through legal means.

“I told her that they must be given, because if not, the court has means to issue a search warrant that will force me to give them,” he said.

The material at the centre of the case was first provided to Clerides several years ago.

He said the woman initially approached him in 2019 in a state of fear and gradually shared messages, images and other records.

Clerides said that after receiving the material, he chose to share it with a limited number of individuals for safeguarding purposes rather than immediately submitting it to the authorities.

He said this included his brother, former attorney-general Costas Clerides, with the aim of ensuring that the material was preserved and assessed.

When pressed by Alpha news on whether his brother was still in office at the time of disclosure, Nikos Clerides insisted that details of the case were only discussed after the former attorney-general had left office and primarily related to the allegations regarding espionage conducted upon him by Costas Clerides’ former driver Morfakis Solomonides.

He indicated that this approach reflected concerns about the nature of the allegations and the individuals referenced within them.

According to Clerides, his client later left Cyprus and fled to Germany with diplomatic assistance due to the sensitivity of the case and the “legitimate threat to her life”.

He added that she has since sought to remain out of public attention and has built a life abroad, and at 45 continues to live outside Cyprus.

Recent developments and publicity surrounding the case have caused her distress, but that there has been no change in her position regarding testimony, he added.

The majority of the texts, over 90 per cent, “have nothing to do with the issue of paedophilia,” he said, in reference to the allegations levied against former supreme court judge Michalakis Christodoulou of having sexually abused Clerides’ client when she was underage.

He said he had encouraged her to report such claims to the police at the time but that she declined.

He added that these issues should be treated independently and examined only through appropriate legal procedures.

Clerides said that the material eventually came into the possession of Drousiotis, who in recent days has made public allegations concerning a network involving political, judicial and financial figures.

Drousiotis has since submitted material to the police as part of the investigation.

Speaking on Sigma, police spokesperson Vyron Vyronos confirmed that evidence has been received and is under examination by designated investigative teams.

“We should not draw conclusions before the evidence is investigated,” Clerides said.

He also addressed the circumstances in which the material was not submitted to authorities earlier, stating that the decision was influenced by the nature of the content and concerns regarding how it would be handled by those who are implicated in the allegations themselves.

He said that the material references individuals in positions of authority and that this was taken into account when determining how to proceed.

Meanwhile, the handling of the case has drawn scrutiny, including over the composition of the investigative team assigned by police chief Themistos Arnaoutis.

Concerns have also been raised following Justice Minister Costas Fitiris’ statements on Saturday that initial material submitted by Drousiotis consisted of a written account rather than direct evidence.