Police have filed a criminal case against journalist Makarios Drousiotis and a woman known publicly as ‘Sandy’, with both facing around 100 charges following an investigation into allegations that fabricated messages and false claims were used to accuse public figures of serious crimes.

According to local media, the case was filed before the court on Friday after directions from the legal service.

Both Drousiotis and ‘Sandy’ have been served with indictments.

The charges mark the latest development in an investigation that began after Drousiotis published a social media post naming individuals and making allegations relating to corruption, rape and other serious offences.

According to police findings announced last month, investigators concluded that both the allegations and the SMS messages relied upon during the case had been fabricated using a mobile application.

Police said the disputed material had been supplied to Drousiotis by Sandy, who, according to investigators, admitted during questioning that she had created the material.

The decision to prosecute follows the conclusion of an extensive police investigation which found no evidence to substantiate the allegations made against public officials and private individuals named in the material.

Police chief Themistos Arnaoutis previously said investigators found the claims were unsupported by witness testimony, forensic evidence and official records.

While the legal service concluded no offences had been committed by those accused in the allegations themselves, police confirmed the investigation had shifted towards possible offences arising from “the creation, publication and public dissemination” of the disputed material.

Drousiotis has consistently rejected the police findings and accused investigators of predetermining the outcome of the inquiry.

Responding after police announced their conclusions, he claimed the investigation had been influenced by former president Nicos Anastasiades, who has repeatedly denied allegations made in Drousiotis’ book Mafia State and has initiated legal proceedings against the journalist.

Drousiotis also disputed the conclusion that the electronic messages had been fabricated by a single individual, questioning how such detailed communications could have been created without specialised knowledge.

The Sandy investigation has remained separate from the anti-corruption authority’s inquiry into allegations contained in Mafia State.

Authority chairman Harris Poyadjis has previously stressed that developments in the Sandy case would “in no case” affect the authority’s examination of the allegations contained in Drousiotis’ book.

The Cyprus Mail attempted to contact both Makarios Drousiotis and his legal team.

More to follow…