A political storm erupted in Cyprus on January 8, 2026, following the release of an eight-minute undercover video on X that accuses President Nikos Christodoulides and his inner circle of bypassing the €1 million campaign spending limit during his 2023 presidential election through undisclosed cash payments and a pay-for-access scheme.
The video, posted by the low-profile X account @EmilyTanalyst under the name "Emily Thompson"—an account created in July 2022 with fewer than 900 followers and minimal prior activity—features secretly recorded conversations involving former Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis, Presidential Office Director Charalambos Charalambous (the president's brother-in-law), and Cyfield Group CEO Giorgos Chrysochos. A female narrator with a British accent claims Christodoulides used family networks to funnel "secret cash bags" and large donations via his wife's charity in exchange for preferential treatment.
The footage surfaced just one day after Cyprus assumed the rotating presidency of the EU Council, prompting suspicions of timed interference. Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis denounced it as "maliciously edited" material containing "false and misleading claims" aimed at damaging the country's image, while authorities investigate a potential "hybrid attack" on the state.
Lakkotrypis swiftly filed a police complaint with Nicosia's Criminal Investigation Department, asserting the video distorts his statements through selective editing and insisting the timing is "no coincidence" linked to the EU presidency. Opposition parties, including AKEL, demanded clear answers, with House Speaker Annita Demetriou calling for official scrutiny.
The government has categorically rejected the allegations as fabricated, emphasizing ongoing probes into the video's origins and authenticity amid heightened political tensions.
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