Investigation into allegations of corruption and abuse involving a former judge

Authorities are investigating allegations of sexual abuse and corruption involving former Supreme Court judge Michalakis Christodoulou, as reported by journalist Makarios Drousiotis. A central figure in the case, identified as Sandy, met with police last week and claimed that the SMS messages publicized by Drousiotis are not authentic. Police are treating her account with skepticism, noting that media pressure may have influenced her statement. Her lawyer, Nikos Clerides, is currently preparing a subset of approximately 1,000 messages to be submitted to police for digital forensic analysis. Forensic expert Dinos Pastos confirmed that authorities utilize specialized hardware and software to extract data from devices and cloud accounts, allowing for the verification of messages even if they were deleted. Former Bar Association president Christos Clerides confirmed that he had received material related to these claims in 2018 but noted that a formal police complaint was not filed at that time. Christodoulou has publicly denied all accusations, and police continue to verify the evidence independently.