The woman known by her alias as ‘Sandy’ broke her silence on Wednesday, publishing a written statement rejecting claims that she was blackmailed or manipulated.

In her statement published by Cyprus Times, she addressed the disputed texts directly, claiming the mobile phone she used at the time had been lost and could not be submitted for technical examination.

‘Sandy’ argued, however, that data from other devices or accounts, such as those belonging to journalist Makarios Drousiotis himself, should be examined.

“If there is available technical data capable of answering these questions, I believe it should be examined by an independent and qualified expert through every lawful means,” she said.

“Is Mr Drousiotis willing to allow an independent and lawful technical examination of the available data from his device and related accounts, solely regarding the route of these specific messages until they reached him?”

In her testimony she acknowledged adopting the ‘Sandy’ moniker but disputed responsibility for the narrative that followed.

“My involvement in the case began through my own choices, I do not deny that,” she said, describing how conversations with her then lawyer Nicos Clerides gradually evolved.

“At first it was a conversation, then came the questions, the answers brought new questions and, at some point, I began stepping into a role, the role of Sandy.”

The case has drawn intense public scrutiny since Drousiotis, then a parliamentary election candidate for Volt, published allegations in March claiming a cabal of judges, politicians and business figures had engaged in corruption, blackmail and the sexual abuse of a minor, apparently operating under the guise of a ‘Rosicrucian Brotherhood’.

The claims relied heavily on material supplied by ‘Sandy’ and were also amplified in Greece, where the news outlet Documento published messages allegedly implicating deputy minister Giorgos Mylonakis, who dismissed them as entirely fabricated and pursued legal action of his own before suffering a stroke.

An extensive police investigation, assisted by Europol and an FBI technical unit, concluded in June that no testimony, forensic evidence or objective material supported the allegations.

Police said forensic analysis of the disputed messages showed irregular timestamps, concluding that “the messages were not genuine” and had been produced using an application capable of generating fabricated conversations.

Investigators said ‘Sandy’ herself had admitted creating the messages and identified the application used.

She also gave an account of her contact with journalists, alleging her first communication with Stelios Orphanides, who himself claimed that he had assisted ‘Sandy’ in fleeing to Germany for her safety, took place in 2020 through Clerides, followed by a meeting with Drousiotis on 26 April 2023 at a cafe in the Mall of Cyprus.

“I did not feel that I was revealing an unknown case to him, I felt that I was facing a person who had already formed his own picture,” she said.

She described appearing before police two days after a public post by Drousiotis brought the case into the open, calling it “a shocking moment” that turned her from a private individual into a public figure overnight.

“I gave a statement, not to protect someone, not to attack someone, but so that ‘Sandy’ could finally stop being a character onto whom everyone could project their own version,” she said.

Attorney-general George Savvides has since filed a criminal case against Drousiotis and herself, with both facing 101 counts relating to the alleged preparation of forged documents, publication of false news and harassment.