The move comes after a secretly recorded video was posted on X on Thursday evening, just a day after Cyprus officially assumed the presidency of the Council of the EU, triggering a political crisis. It was not immediately possible to find public and verifiable information confirming the real identity of the person behind the account that posted the video.
The video includes a montage of senior figures filmed apparently describing ways to bypass campaign spending caps with cash donations, and seemingly discussing a scheme allowing businesspeople to access the president and first lady. One segment made reference to helping Russians avoid EU sanctions. Charalambous, Christodoulides’ brother-in-law, is shown explaining how to gain access to the presidential palace.
The video also alleges that social contributions made by companies through the AFKS fund, run by the first lady, are being misused to win preferential treatment. On Sunday, first lady Philippa Karsera announced that she is stepping down from the management committee of a charity fund.
The government denies the allegations made in the video and has called it “hybrid activity” aimed at harming “the image of the government and the country.”
Cyprus has requested assistance from specialized teams in the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom and France to help it investigate the οrigin of the video and who created it, according to the Cyprus News Agency.