An independent criminal investigation has been opened into allegations made by Ioanna Fotiou, known publicly as Annie Alexui, against seven police officers.

Fotiou said on Friday that she had been informed by the watchdog tasked with investigating complaints against the police (Aadipa) that two criminal investigators had been appointed to examine her complaints.

She said she was preparing to consult her lawyers about how she would give evidence and expressed a preference to do so online.

The complaints were first submitted in April after Justice Minister Costas Fitiris directed the material to the independent authority.

The authority subsequently informed attorney-general George Savvides and requested that an independent criminal investigator be appointed.

Fotiou has accused seven officers of misconduct and corruption but has repeatedly said the complaints submitted so far represent only part of the material she claims to possess.

“There are other police officers about whom I have much more serious material,” she said.

Among the senior officers she has publicly accused is deputy police chief Michalis Katsounotos.

Her allegations against him concern what she describes as the protection of criminal interests and failures to properly investigate serious cases.

Katsounotos has previously been the subject of separate allegations by former central prisons director Anna Aristotelous, who accused him of abusing his authority and colluding with a convicted prisoner to obtain compromising material against her.

An independent investigation found no evidence of corruption, while the attorney-general decided against prosecution on public interest grounds.

Fotiou has also raised the unresolved 2012 death of 17-year-old Andreas Loizou at the Mouttayiaka underpass in Limassol.

At the time, Katsounotos was head of Limassol traffic police.

The case became the subject of allegations of a cover-up involving a high-ranking politician’s daughter, although no charges were brought and authorities attributed missing records to technical difficulties.

Another senior officer named by Fotiou is deputy police chief Panikos Stavrou.

In May, she published extracts from a sworn statement connected to the investigation into the murder of Alexis Mavromichalis, known himself as Alexui, and claimed the material supported allegations that Stavrou had received money from individuals involved in organised crime.

The affidavit contained a witness account referring to contacts within the police who could allegedly “arrange their business” and included a reference to “Panikos”.

It also alleged that Stavrou appeared in footage receiving a briefcase containing money.

The alleged footage was said to have been stored on a USB device later recovered by police, although the device was reportedly damaged and its contents could not be retrieved.

Those allegations had previously been examined by the police’s internal affairs service, though the investigation did not establish evidence of criminal wrongdoing against Stavrou and no offences were substantiated.

No alleged video has been publicly produced by Fotiou.

Fotiou has also accused other police officers and public officials of misconduct, claiming that she has recordings, videos, screenshots and other material supporting her allegations.

She has said that she became so distrustful of Cypriot authorities that she sought asylum in Russia.

“I don’t know why we had to get this far for this to happen,” she said on Friday, referring to the appointment of investigators.

She also claimed that she had been forced to document her interactions with police herself because she believed her allegations would otherwise be dismissed.

Fitiris has repeatedly said that allegations must be submitted through established legal procedures rather than social media.

Fotiou had previously insisted she wanted to provide recordings of conversations with police officers and other material she claimed showed misconduct and cover-ups.

Authorities have also been examining to obtain her formal testimony while she remains abroad.

The case is separate from the 13 arrest warrants issued against Fotiou in January following complaints by police officers, MPs and members of the public over alleged offences including harassment, the publication of false information and violations concerning personal data.

Among those who filed complaints were Katsounotos, former Paphos police chief Nicos Tsappis and other serving officers.